Sent via email

Madam Prime Minister Hasina,

We, the 19 undersigned press freedom and human rights organizations, write to seek your administration’s urgent intervention to immediately end the harassment and intimidation of journalist Adhora Yeasmean, who faces an investigation under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for her April 29 video report for RTV on the alleged crimes of the religious organization Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif. The authorities should immediately drop their investigation into Yeasmean.

We have also received disturbing reports that Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif members have conducted unlawful surveillance of Yeasmean since mid-July, continually following her and threatening to file additional complaints against her and her family members in retaliation for her reporting. The authorities must swiftly investigate these threats, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure her physical and psychological safety and security.

We also call on the Government of Bangladesh to dismiss the DSA investigation into the journalist’s interviewee and co-accused, Akramul Ahsan Kanchan, who has been targeted in this case for claiming in Yeasmean’s report that Shakerul Kabir, one of Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif’s leaders, took possession of the properties of locals based on false promises of financial gain.

Legal retaliation against a source in journalistic reporting is an act of intimidation that inhibits the functioning of a free press. Journalism is not a crime, and the media should be free and empowered to cover local and national developments in Bangladesh without fear of reprisal by subjects of reporting or the authorities. This is particularly relevant in the run-up to the January 2024 national election.

Further, while we welcome the government’s recent decision to repeal the DSA, the draft of the law’s replacement, the Cyber Security Act, retains several repressive sections previously used to stifle independent journalism and human rights, including freedom of expression, privacy, and liberty in Bangladesh.

We urge your administration to consult with and incorporate feedback from civil society organizations, journalists, and other stakeholders to ensure that the new legislation aligns with international human rights standards, upholds the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom as guaranteed under the Constitution of Bangladesh, and does not place journalists and human rights defenders at constant risk of criminalization for their work. The authorities should immediately drop all DSA charges against those targeted under the law solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and release those held on these charges.

Your administration can start by addressing the wrongful accusations against Yeasmean. On May 13, the Chittagong Cyber Tribunal registered Kabir’s complaint accusing Yeasmean and Kanchan of violating three sections of the DSA, and the police were ordered to investigate. In violation of her right to due process, it took nearly two months for Yeasmean to learn about the case, since Dhaka’s Tejgaon Police Station called her only on July 8, by which time the investigation had already been transferred to the Noakhali Criminal Investigation Department, about 173 kilometers (107 miles) from her home.

In May, Kanchan was convicted and imprisoned in a separate “fraud” case, which his lawyer Shishir Manir claims is an act of retaliation for alleging to the media that Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif had engaged in “land grabbing,” and for organizing collective legal action against the organization in 2021, leading to three court-ordered government probes. One of these probes found Pir Dillur Rahman, Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif’s head, and his followers had lodged 49 “fictitious” criminal complaints, including those of human trafficking, violence against women, and attempt to murder, against Kanchan due to a property dispute. We call for an independent and transparent commission of inquiry to thoroughly and impartially investigate the circumstances surrounding Kanchan’s detention and to release the findings to the public.

We urge the Government of Bangladesh to swiftly follow procedure to dismiss the DSA case against Yeasmean and Kanchan by submitting a final report to the cyber tribunal and ensuring that they, like others targeted under the law solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, are not subjected to further retaliation.

Signed:

Amnesty International

ARTICLE 19 South Asia

Asian Human Rights Commission

Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media

Capital Punishment Justice Project

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ)

Committee to Protect Journalists

Forum for Freedom of Expression, Bangladesh

Free Press Unlimited

IFEX

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

International Women’s Media Foundation

PEN America

PEN Bangladesh

PEN International

Reporters Without Borders

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

____

CC: Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan
Minister of Home Affairs
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
minister@mha.gov.bd

CC: Mr. Anisul Huq
Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliament
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
secretary@lawjusticediv.gov.bd

CC: Mr. Md. Faridul Haque Khan
Minister of Religious Affairs
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
moragovbd@gmail.com

CC: Mr. A.K. Abdul Momen
Minister of Foreign Affairs
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
fm@mofa.gov.bd

CC: Mr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed
Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
info@nhrc.org.bd

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

The complaint, which CPJ reviewed, was filed by Md Shahinur Islam, who identified himself to The Daily Star as a reporter for the newspaper Amar Somoy, which supports the ruling Awami League party. It accused the journalists and other unnamed members of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party and Bangladesh Nationalist Party of working together to commit “anti-state crimes” and disseminate “conspiratorial news” in a July 27, 2023, Dainik Fulki article.

That article, titled “Asia’s longest-serving prime minister is finally resigning,” covered the resignation announcement of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen but mistakenly used a photo of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, president of the Awami League. The next day, the newspaper published a correction and apology, which CPJ reviewed.

Haque left Dainik Fulki around 2019 and was not involved in the article, the journalist told CPJ.

Sakib said he believed he was being targeted to undermine his campaign in the election for Savar Press Club president, which is set to be held in the coming months. He is opposed by about five journalists who strongly support the Awami League, he said.

Similarly, Haque said he believed he was being targeted for his campaign to be the press club’s organizing secretary. He is opposed by two journalists who strongly support the ruling party, he told CPJ.

The Savar Press Club is a trade group in the Dhaka district that advocates for issues, including wage distribution, labor rights, and journalist safety.

Sakib and Haque said they do not know Islam. Islam told CPJ via messaging app that his complaint was “accurate” and claimed the two journalists were involved in “information terrorism.” Islam did not respond to CPJ’s follow-up question about his journalistic background. CPJ called, messaged, and emailed the Amar Somoy newspaper for comment, but did not receive any replies.

Separately, on July 30, Sakib received a notice from the Dhaka district deputy commissioner’s office, reviewed by CPJ, ordering the journalist to explain within seven days why Dainik Fulki’s license to operate should not be canceled following an application filed by Manjurul Alam Rajib, chair of a local government unit and an Awami League leader in Savar. The notice alleges that the July 27 article “achieved the task of tarnishing the image of the state.”

Sakib’s response, dated August 6 and reviewed by CPJ, denied that allegation, expressed regret over the “unintentional mistake,” and mentioned the published correction and apology. Haque told CPJ that he did not receive a similar notice at that time.

Bangladesh’s next national election is set for January 2024 and expected to be met with increasing violence. In late July 2023, police fired at opposition party protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, and beat them amid mass arrests of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders and activists.

In response to the government’s announcement on August 7 that the Digital Security Act will be replaced, CPJ called on authorities to ensure the new Cyber Security Act complies with international human rights law.

Hasan Mahmud, Bangladesh’s information minister and Awami League joint secretary, and Dipak Chandra Saha, officer-in-charge of the Savar Model Police Station, did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment sent via messaging app. CPJ also contacted Rajib and Anisur Rahman, Dhaka district deputy commissioner, via messaging app for comment, but did not receive any replies.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

“This is a step in the right direction, but the devil is in the details,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “It will be meaningless if the Bangladesh government replaces the Digital Security Act with another oppressive law that continues to target journalists in retaliation for their reporting. The government must ensure that journalists are fully consulted in drafting the new Cyber Security Act and that it complies with international human rights laws.”

Under the proposed new law, journalists would face fines, rather than jail sentences, for defamation, and suspects would receive bail, Law Minister Anisul Huq said, according to news reports. Many sections of the Digital Security Act are likely to be incorporated in the new law, while sections that can be misused will be omitted, he said.

More than 7,000 cases have been filed under the act since it was introduced in 2018. Journalists have faced arrest, enforced disappearance, and alleged torture in state custody in retaliation for their reporting on topics including governmental policies, alleged corruption, and allegedly illicit business practices.

CPJ has repeatedly called for the suspension of the law, along with journalists and human rights groups. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for its immediate suspension in March, saying it had been used to “muzzle critical voices online.”

The new law is expected to be passed by September, according to local media. Bangladesh is due to hold elections in January.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

On May 13, the Chittagong Cyber Tribunal, which adjudicates alleged cybercrime offenses in southeast Bangladesh, registered a complaint under the Digital Security Act against Yasmin and her source in relation to the RTV broadcast reporter’s April 30 video investigation exposing alleged crimes by the conversative Islamic organization Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif and one of its leaders, Shakerul Kabir, according to news reports and a person familiar with the case, who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal.

Kabir filed the complaint accusing her of violating three sections of the Digital Security Act, according to CPJ’s review of the document. In her investigation, Yasmin reported that Kabir has been accused of extortion, land grabbing, and violence against women.  

The Digital Security Act, which criminalizes several forms of speech online, has frequently been used to target critical journalists in Bangladesh since its enactment in 2018. In March 2023, Bangladesh authorities arrested a Prothom Alo reporter and opened multiple investigations under the act into the leading newspaper’s leadership and staff, prompting United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk to reiterate his call on authorities to impose an immediate moratorium on the law.

 CPJ and other rights groups also have called for the suspension of the law.

“It is appalling that Bangladeshi journalist Adhara Yasmin has been targeted under the draconian Digital Security Act for her investigative reporting,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director. “Authorities must immediately drop their investigation, stop using the act against journalists, and ensure Yasmin is not subjected to further retaliation for her work.”

Yasmin found out about the complaint on July 8, in a call from a local police station. The next day, she learned she had been summoned for questioning on July 14 at the police Criminal Investigation Department in Chittagong’s Noakhali sub-district, about 173 kilometers (107 miles) from her home in the capital city Dhaka, according to the person who spoke to CPJ.

Yasmin’s source, who appeared in her video investigation, is named as an accused in the complaint. Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif, led by Pir Dillur Rahman, has previously been accused of filing fabricated criminal complaints to facilitate land grabbing.

CPJ called and messaged Kabir and Muhammad Rafiqul Islam, the investigating officer in the case, but did not receive any replies.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Arlene Getz/CPJ Editorial Director.

The statement calls on the Bangladesh government to immediately suspend the use of the draconian Digital Security Act pending its repeal or amendment in line with international human rights law. The DSA has repeatedly been used against journalists in retaliation for their work on topics including governmental policies, corruption, and illicit business practices.

The statement notes the March arrest of Shamsuzzaman Shams, a correspondent for the newspaper Prothom Alo, under the DSA and the subsequent DSA investigations opened into Shams, Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman, executive editor Sajjad Sharif, an unnamed camera operator, and other unidentified people in connection to Shams’ reporting on price hikes. Shams has since been released on bail.

The statement expresses concern regarding the weaponization of other laws against journalists and the media, noting the ongoing investigation of Prothom Alo special correspondent Rozina Islam under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and the penal code in apparent retaliation for her reporting on alleged government corruption and irregularities in the public health sector at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full statement here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Police filed the first information report opening the investigation following a complaint by Masud Rana, a businessman who alleged Bhuttow had defamed Hasan Mahmud, Bangladesh’s information and broadcasting minister and joint general secretary of the ruling Awami League party, in a London Bangla Channel video published on January 4, according to a copy of the report reviewed by CPJ.

In that video, Bhuttow alleged that Mahmud had purchased a residential property in the United Arab Emirates using laundered money.

The complaint accuses Bhuttow and London Bangla Channel of violating five sections of the Digital Security Act: transmission or publication of offensive, false, or threatening information; unauthorized collection or use of identity information; publication or transmission of defamatory information; publication or transmission of information that deteriorates law and order; and abetment, according to the first information report.

Each of the first four offenses can carry a prison sentence of three to 10 years, and a fine of 300,000 to 1,000,000 taka (US$2,849 to $9,496), according to the law, which says that abetment can carry the same punishment as committing an offense itself.

Bhuttow said he did not know if any court hearings had been held in the case.

CPJ called and messaged Rana, Mahmud, and Manjur Quader Majumder, officer-in-charge of the Chawkbazar police station, but did not receive any replies. Mahmud’s personal assistant told New Age that the minister did not ask Rana to file the DSA case.

Earlier, in September 2022, Bangladesh authorities arrested Abdul Muktadir Manu, Bhuttow’s brother and a member of a local administrative unit with the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Bhuttow told CPJ that he believed authorities arrested his brother in retaliation for his journalism. Prior to the arrest, Bhuttow had published two interviews with retired Lieutenant Colonel Hasinur Rahman, who received international attention for his allegations that Bangladesh’s military intelligence secretly detained him in 2011 and 2018.

Since his brother’s arrest, Bhuttow has received threatening calls and text messages from anonymous numbers, warning him to stop his reporting or face further investigations in Bangladesh, according to Bhuttow and copies of the messages reviewed by CPJ.

A first information report on Manu’s case accused him of working with Bhuttow to spread rumors and attempting to remove Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power. Authorities also accuse Bhuttow of encouraging his brother to attack police officers in 2021, during clashes between BNP factions in the town of Moulvibazar.

Bhuttow told CPJ that Manu was not involved in that incident, and he believed authorities sought to prolong Manu’s arbitrary detention and intimidate Bhuttow over his work. Manu was released on interim bail on September 21, 2022, and has to frequently appear in local courts for proceedings in the two cases, Bhuttow said.

Mohammad Zakaria, superintendent of the Moulvibazar district police, acknowledged receipt of CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app, but did not provide further information by the time of publication.

Since August 2022, police officers and officials with National Security Intelligence, Bangladesh’s civil intelligence agency, have repeatedly visited the homes Bhuttow’s family members, including his brother Abdul Hamid, a businessman in the capital city of Dhaka, and questioned them about their relationship with the journalist and his work, Bhuttow told CPJ.

CPJ called and messaged Roy Niyati, a Dhaka metropolitan police spokesperson, and National Security Intelligence Director-General Major General T.M. Jobair, but did not receive any replies.

CPJ has documented other instances of retaliation against the family members of foreign-based Bangladeshi journalists, including the March 2023 assault of the brother of U.K.-based journalist Zulkarnain Saer Khan, as well as the September 2022 arrest of U.K.-based journalist Shamsul Alam Liton’s brother and the October 2021 arrest of U.S.-based journalist Kanak Sarwar’s sister. Those journalists’ siblings have been released on bail, the journalists told CPJ via messaging app.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

In the early morning of Wednesday, March 29, authorities arrested Prothom Alo correspondent Shamsuzzaman Shams under the Digital Security Act for allegedly spreading “false news” in a March 26 article.

On Wednesday evening, authorities in the capital city of Dhaka opened another DSA investigation into Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman, Shams, an unnamed camera operator at the outlet, and other unidentified people, according to news reports, Prothom Alo executive editor Sajjad Sharif, who spoke to CPJ by phone, and a copy of the first information report launching that investigation, dated March 29 at 11:10 p.m., which CPJ reviewed.

Also on Wednesday, Mithun Biswas, a lawyer based in southern city of Chittagong, issued a legal notice to Rahman, Sharif, and Shams demanding they unconditionally and publicly apologize for that March 26 article within seven days or face legal action, according to news reports and a copy of the notice reviewed by CPJ.

On Thursday morning, Shams appeared before a Dhaka court and was denied bail, according to news reports. Authorities had not arrested Rahman or the camera operator as of Thursday evening, Sharif said.

“Bangladesh authorities’ harassment of staff members with the Prothom Alo newspaper and the arrest of correspondent Shamsuzzaman Shams under the draconian Digital Security Act are clear attempts to quash critical reporting,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director. “Authorities must immediately release Shams and cease abusing the legal process against journalists, which produces a chilling effect on the media.”

That March 26 article and a post on Facebook briefly used a child’s photo to accompany a quote from an adult laborer about price hikes; the outlet swiftly removed the Facebook post and re-published the article on its website and Facebook page with a correction.

The investigation opened Wednesday night by the Ramna police station in Dhaka was sparked by a complaint by Abdul Malek, a lawyer who said the accused had used “print, online and electronic media to tarnish the image and reputation of the state” and displayed that erroneous image. When reached by phone, Malek told CPJ that he stood by the allegations in the complaint, and the journalists should be punished for their work “against the independence” of the country.

Police are investigating the accused under three sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to the transmission or publication of offensive, false, or threatening information; publication or transmission of information that deteriorates law and order; and abetment, according to the first information report.

The first two offenses can carry a prison sentence of three to seven years and fines of 300,000 taka to 500,000 taka (US$2,797 to $4,662), according to the law, which says abetment can carry the same punishment as committing an offense itself.

CPJ called and messaged Abu Ansar, the investigating officer in the case, and Roy Niyati, a Dhaka metropolitan police spokesperson, for comment, but did not receive any replies.

CPJ called the phone number listed for Biswas in his legal notice, but received an error message. CPJ was unable to immediately find other contact information for him.

In February, CPJ joined civil society organizations in a letter calling on Bangladesh to cease the judicial harassment of Prothom Alo special correspondent Rozina Islam, who faces an ongoing investigation under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and the penal code in apparent retaliation for reporting on alleged corruption in the public health sector at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

At around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, March 29, a group of about 15 people in plain clothes identifying themselves as members of the police Criminal Investigation Department detained Shams, a Prothom Alo correspondent, from his home in the town of Savar, on the outskirts of the capital city of Dhaka, according to multiple news reports and a person familiar with the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

In a first information report filed by the Dhaka Tejgaon police station, dated 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, which CPJ reviewed, authorities said they were investigating Shams under the Digital Security Act following a complaint by a local political leader.

As of Wednesday evening, Shams had not been presented in court and police had not confirmed his whereabouts, according to the person who spoke with CPJ.

“The arrest and harassment of Bangladeshi journalist Shamsuzzaman Shams under the draconian Digital Security Act is an excessive reaction by authorities that smacks of intimidation,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director, in New York. “Authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Shams and cease harassing journalists under the Digital Security Act, which has repeatedly been used to muzzle critical voices.”

The first information report filed by police, which officially opened an investigation into Shams, was based on a complaint by Syed Md. Golam Kibria, a leader of the Jubo League, a youth wing of the ruling Awami League party. 

Kibria accused Shams of publishing “false news” and using an erroneous image in a March 26 Prothom Alo article about rising food prices in the country.

That article and a post by Prothom Alo on Facebook briefly used a child’s photo to accompany a quote from an adult laborer about price hikes; the outlet swiftly removed the Facebook post and re-published the article on its website and Facebook page with a correction, according to those news reports and the person who spoke to CPJ.

Shams is accused of violating five sections of the Digital Security Act: the publication or transmission of offensive, false, or threatening information; unauthorized collection or use of identity information; publication or transmission of defamatory information; publication or transmission of content that deteriorates law and order; and abetment of an offense, according to the first information report.

The first four offenses can carry prison sentences of three to seven years in prison and fines of 300,000 to 500,000 taka (US$2,809 to $4,681), according to the law, which says abetment can carry the same punishment as committing the offense itself.

CPJ has repeatedly documented the use of the Digital Security Act to jail and harass journalists in retaliation for their work. Law Minister Anisul Huq has repeatedly said that no journalist will be immediately arrested following the registration of a complaint under the law.

When reached via messaging app, Dhaka district police superintendent Md. Asaduzzaman referred CPJ’s request for comment to the press wing of the police headquarters. CPJ called and messaged Roy Niyati, a Dhaka metropolitan police spokesperson, but did not receive any replies.

Kibria did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app.

[Editors’ note: This article has been changed to correct the spelling of Kibria’s name.]

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

Nomani, chief news editor of the privately owned newspaper The Daily Shahnama and editor of the Barisal Khabar news website, is due in court on April 4 to face charges against him and two others under two sections of the Digital Security Act stemming from a 2020 case, according to the journalist, who spoke with CPJ by phone, and a copy of the chargesheet reviewed by CPJ.

The charges stem from a complaint alleging that Nomani and two of his friends secretly filmed a local mayor and his family. Nomani told CPJ that he denies the allegations.

“It is absurd that Bangladesh authorities have charged journalist Mamunur Rashid Nomani under the draconian Digital Security Act in a years-old case without any concrete evidence,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Authorities must immediately withdraw the charges against Nomani and cease harassing journalists under the Digital Security Act, which has repeatedly been used to muzzle the press.”

The chargesheet alleges that Nomani and his friends violated sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to the unauthorized collection of personal information and holding or transferring data illegally.

Police opened an investigation into the three on September 13, 2020, following a complaint by Syed Ahmed Manna, a local official with the ruling Awami League party. Nomani was detained in relation to the case for 17 days in September 2020.

Manna accused the three of secretly filming Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, mayor of the Barisal City Corporation and general secretary of the Awami League’s Barisal branch, along with Abdullah’s wife and children.

Authorities formally charged Nomani in July 2022 but did not inform the journalist, he said, adding that a clerk at the Barisal Cyber Tribunal informed him about the charges when he applied to extend his interim bail in late December 2022.

In a forensic report dated January 25, 2021, which CPJ reviewed, the Dhaka police criminal investigation department stated it was unable to conclude whether Nomani’s phone was used to film the mayor. In January, Nomani applied for the case to be discharged, citing that report, he said. Nomani said his application will be heard at the April 4 court hearing.

Nomani denied the allegations, claiming that he and his friends greeted Abdullah that night but the mayor and his associates confiscated their phones, severely beat the journalist, and submerged him in a river for several minutes in retaliation for his reporting on the Barisal City Corporation’s alleged lack of action to address flooding in the city.

The two offenses cited in the chargesheet can each carry a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of 500,000 to 1,000,000 taka (US$4,674 to $9,348).

CPJ contacted Manna and Abdullah via messaging app, and the Awami League via email, but did not receive any replies. Anwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of the Kotwali police station, and Roy Niyati, a Dhaka police spokesperson, did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment sent via messaging app.

CPJ has repeatedly documented Bangladesh’s use of the Digital Security Act against journalists in retaliation for their work, and has called on authorities to repeal the law unless it can be promptly amended in line with international human rights standards.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

Nomani, chief news editor of the privately owned newspaper The Daily Shahnama and editor of the Barisal Khabar news website, is due in court on April 4 to face charges against him and two others under two sections of the Digital Security Act stemming from a 2020 case, according to the journalist, who spoke with CPJ by phone, and a copy of the chargesheet reviewed by CPJ.

The charges stem from a complaint alleging that Nomani and two of his friends secretly filmed a local mayor and his family. Nomani told CPJ that he denies the allegations.

“It is absurd that Bangladesh authorities have charged journalist Mamunur Rashid Nomani under the draconian Digital Security Act in a years-old case without any concrete evidence,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Authorities must immediately withdraw the charges against Nomani and cease harassing journalists under the Digital Security Act, which has repeatedly been used to muzzle the press.”

The chargesheet alleges that Nomani and his friends violated sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to the unauthorized collection of personal information and holding or transferring data illegally.

Police opened an investigation into the three on September 13, 2020, following a complaint by Syed Ahmed Manna, a local official with the ruling Awami League party. Nomani was detained in relation to the case for 17 days in September 2020.

Manna accused the three of secretly filming Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, mayor of the Barisal City Corporation and general secretary of the Awami League’s Barisal branch, along with Abdullah’s wife and children.

Authorities formally charged Nomani in July 2022 but did not inform the journalist, he said, adding that a clerk at the Barisal Cyber Tribunal informed him about the charges when he applied to extend his interim bail in late December 2022.

In a forensic report dated January 25, 2021, which CPJ reviewed, the Dhaka police criminal investigation department stated it was unable to conclude whether Nomani’s phone was used to film the mayor. In January, Nomani applied for the case to be discharged, citing that report, he said. Nomani said his application will be heard at the April 4 court hearing.

Nomani denied the allegations, claiming that he and his friends greeted Abdullah that night but the mayor and his associates confiscated their phones, severely beat the journalist, and submerged him in a river for several minutes in retaliation for his reporting on the Barisal City Corporation’s alleged lack of action to address flooding in the city.

The two offenses cited in the chargesheet can each carry a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of 500,000 to 1,000,000 taka (US$4,674 to $9,348).

CPJ contacted Manna and Abdullah via messaging app, and the Awami League via email, but did not receive any replies. Anwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of the Kotwali police station, and Roy Niyati, a Dhaka police spokesperson, did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment sent via messaging app.

CPJ has repeatedly documented Bangladesh’s use of the Digital Security Act against journalists in retaliation for their work, and has called on authorities to repeal the law unless it can be promptly amended in line with international human rights standards.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

The complaint stems from a video investigation by Titu, which was broadcast by Ekattor TV on March 1, 2022, alleging that a local shrine’s management committee, led by Shahidul Islam Mollik, general secretary of the Mirzaganj Union Parishad, an administrative government unit, had engaged in corruption.

Mollik’s nephew, Badal Hossain, filed the complaint, which accused the journalist of violating three sections of the Digital Security Act, pertaining to defamation, unauthorized collection of identity information, and publication of false, threatening, or offensive information, according to those sources. Each of those offenses can carry a prison sentence of between three and five years, and a fine between 300,000 taka (US$3,160) and 1,000,000 taka (US $10,530). 

Titu told CPJ that after conducting research for the investigation in Mirzaganj, Hossain had called him on February 19 and urged him not to publish the report.

On February 20, Hossain came to the Ekattor TV office in the town of Patuakhali and offered the journalist a bribe in exchange for agreeing not to publish the report, according to Titu and CCTV footage of the incident, which was shown in Titu’s video investigation.

When reached via messaging app, Hossain denied the allegations that he pressured Titu not to publish the report.

Titu told CPJ that after accepting the complaint, the Barisal Cyber Tribunal subsequently ordered the Mirzaganj police station to investigate the complaint. Anowar Hossain Talukdar, the station’s officer in charge, is the vice president of the shrine’s management, according to Titu and a document issued by the Waqf Administration, a regulatory agency under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which CPJ reviewed.

Mollik and Talukdar did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment sent via messaging app.

Titu said that he expects to be summoned for further hearings after the police submits its investigative report to the tribunal. Under Section 40 of the Digital Security Act, investigations are to be completed within 60 days, with the possibility of extension upon court approval. Titu told CPJ that police did not complete the investigation within the 60-day period, adding that he was not informed that they were granted an extension.

Titu said he has repeatedly received direct, in-person threats from politicians and their associates for his extensive reporting on their alleged corruption. He fears these political leaders have banded together in recent months, he told CPJ, and are planning further retaliation against him, including possibly arrest.

CPJ has repeatedly documented the use of the Digital Security Act to harass journalists in retaliation for their work, and has called for the law’s repeal.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Jennifer Dunham.

A Rangamati magistrate granted Elahi interim bail on June 8, pending an additional hearing at the Chittagong Cyber Tribunal, which adjudicates alleged cybercrime offenses, where he was granted permanent bail on June 14, according to a report in the Dhaka Tribune and the journalist. The next hearing in his case is scheduled for July 31, Elahi said.

Police arrested Elahi in relation to a December 3, 2020, article he published in Pahar24, which detailed alleged irregularities concerning a property rented by Nazneen Anwar, daughter of Furoza Begum Chinu, a former member of parliament with the ruling Awami League and head of the Rangamati District Women’s Awami League, according to those reports and the journalist.

On December 8, 2020, Chinu and Anwar each filed separate complaints, which CPJ reviewed, against Elahi in relation to his article, alleging that the journalist had defamed them, Elahi said.

On March 15, 2021, the Rangamati police submitted a report to a magistrate, which CPJ reviewed, stating that they investigated Elahi under sections of the Digital Security Act related to defamation and publishing offensive, false, or threatening information after receiving those complaints. The police report said it would allow the court to decide a course of action.

On June 7, 2022, the Chittagong Cyber Tribunal issued a warrant for Elahi’s arrest, which CPJ reviewed, under unspecified sections of the Digital Security Act.

Elahi was taken to Rangamati’s Kotwali police station after his June 7 arrest, he said, adding that Anwar was at the scene and demanded the officers put him in a cell when he was placed in a chair in the front office. When reached by phone by CPJ, Anwar said she had asked officers why Elahi was allowed to use his phone in custody.

Anwar told CPJ that she stands by the allegations in the complaint. Chinu did not respond to CPJ’s text message requesting comment. Kabir Hossain, officer-in-charge at the Kotwali police station, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app.

In a separate case, on June 7, 2022, the Khulna Cyber Tribunal accepted a police chargesheet that had been filed on August 31, 2021, against Abu Tayeb, Khulna bureau chief for the privately owned broadcaster NTV, and Subir Rana, a reporter for the privately owned newspaper Daily Loksamaj and privately owned news website New Age, according to a copy of the chargesheet, which CPJ reviewed, and the two journalists, who spoke with CPJ by phone.

A hearing in their case is scheduled for September 20, according to Tayeb. The chargesheet accuses the journalists of violating sections of the Digital Security Act related to the publication of offensive, false, or threatening information; defamation; and deterioration of law and order. Those offenses can carry a prison sentence between three and seven years, and a fine of between 300,000 taka (US$3,230) and 600,000 taka (US$6,460).

The chargesheet accuses Tayeb and Rana of violating the Digital Security Act with Facebook posts they each published in April 2021 accusing a local company affiliated with Talukder Abdul Khalek, mayor of the Khulna City Corporation, a municipal agency that oversees the development and maintenance of the city, of evading taxes.

Tayeb made those allegations both in a report for NTV and on his Facebook page, and Rana also published the allegations on his page, according to CPJ research, both journalists, and a screenshot of the posts, which CPJ reviewed. Tayeb told CPJ that within 24 hours after the article and Facebook post were published, Khalek called him and ordered him to remove the report and the post, and he had complied.

On April 20, Khalek filed a complaint against Tayeb and Rana and published a rejoinder in The Daily Purbanchal newspaper, which CPJ reviewed, denying the allegations and warning that legal action would be taken against those who spread the information shared in their posts.

Tayeb was detained in relation to the case from April 20 to May 10, 2021, when he was released on bail, according to CPJ documentation and the journalist. Rana was also detained from June 3 to July 7, when he was released on bail, according to the journalist and the Bangladesh High Court bail order, which CPJ reviewed.

The investigating officer in the case did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app. Khalek did not respond to CPJ’s text message requesting comment.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

On June 10, 2021, the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal referred the case to the cybercrime unit of the Dhaka police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for investigation, Choudhury told CPJ. On August 16, 2021, CID officers interrogated Choudhury for around two hours, during which they repeatedly asked him why he published the articles and demanded he reveal his sources, he said.

Section 40 of the Digital Security Act allows authorities 60 days to complete an investigation, which can be extended with judicial approval. The CID submitted applications to extend the investigation period on June 22, 2021, September 30, 2021, and November 17, 2021, according to Choudhury.

On January 23, 2022, Sub-inspector Mehdi Hassan filed an investigative report at the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal which accused Choudhury of violating three sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to the publication of offensive, false, or threatening information; defamation; and abetment.

The first two offenses can each carry a prison sentence of up to three years and a fine between 300,000 taka (US$3,500) and 500,000 taka (US$5,815), according to the law, which states that abetment carries the same punishment as committing an offense itself.

On February 17, 2022, the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal issued a summons for Choudhury to appear on April 6, 2022, at which time the journalist’s lawyer will file an application for anticipatory bail, Choudhury said, adding that if anticipatory bail is denied, the tribunal will frame, or determine the nature of, the charges against him.

Sub-inspector Hassan, the investigating officer in the case, did not respond to CPJ’s text message requesting comment. Sanu did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app.

Choudhury was previously arrested in November 2003 when he tried to travel to Israel to participate in a conference with the Hebrew Writers Association, according to CPJ documentation. He was released on bail in May 2005 before he was convicted of sedition and treason in January 2015 and sentenced to seven years in prison, according to CPJ research and Choudhury. Choudhury was also detained from November 2012 to July 2018, when he served concurrent sentences for fraud, sedition, and treason, he said.

In July 2006, two small devices detonated outside the Weekly Blitz office, as CPJ documented.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

On the evening of September 12, 2020, Nomani and his two friends approached and greeted Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, the mayor of the Barisal City Corporation, a municipal administration that oversees the development and maintenance of the city. Abdullah appeared on a Facebook Live in the area earlier that evening.

Nomani said that Abdullah slapped him, shouted and cursed at him and his friends, criticized his report published on August 29, 2020, in Barisal Khabar regarding the Barisal City Corporation’s alleged lack of action to address flooding in the city, and accused him of “reporting against [him].”

Abdullah was at the scene with around nine of his associates, comprised of Barisal City Corporation employees, and leaders of the ruling Awami League party and Chhatra League organization, the student wing of the Awami League, the journalist said. Abdullah is the former joint secretary of the Awami League branch in Barisal.

Abdullah ordered his associates to confiscate the mobile phones of the journalist and his two friends, before Abdullah and his associates submerged the journalist into the Kirtankhola River for several minutes, Nomani said. After taking him out of the water, Abdullah and Syed Ahmed Manna, a ward councilor of the Barisal City Corporation who was present at the scene, beat him repeatedly with an iron rod as four of Abdullah’s associates held him down, according to the journalist.

Throughout the incident, Nomani fell in and out of consciousness, broke three of his fingers, and sustained painful injuries across his body, specifically his head and chest, according to the journalist and copies of his medical reports, which CPJ reviewed.

Nomani told CPJ that he believes Abdullah targeted him due to his report, adding that his two friends were not submerged in the water, nor were they attacked as severely as the journalist.

After the alleged assault, Abdullah’s associates took Nomani and his two friends to Barisal’s Kotwali police station, where he fully regained consciousness, he said, adding that police filed an application at the Barisal Metropolitan Magistrate Court for the three men to be transferred to the Barisal Central Jail, without being produced in front of a magistrate, which would allow the judiciary to assess their state of health.

Syed Ahmed Manna, a ward councilor of the Barisal City Corporation who was present at the scene with Abdullah, filed a complaint against Nomani and his friends, alleging that the three had secretly recorded videos of Abdullah, his wife, and children while they were going for a walk in the area around 1:30 a.m. on September 13, 2020 in violation of the Digital Security Act, according to news reports and Nomani.

Nomani told CPJ that he denies these allegations and claimed that the alleged assault occurred around 10:30 p.m., and he was brought to the police station before 1:30 a.m., adding that he could not have recorded such videos because Abdullah’s associates confiscated his phone.

Barisal police sent the mobile phones of the three accused to the Dhaka police’s criminal investigation department for forensic review, Nomani said, adding that to date, the department has not produced a forensic report detailing its findings and the phones have not been returned.

Later on September 13, Mohammed Nurul Islam, the then officer-in-charge of the Kotwali police station, filed a first information report, the first step of a police investigation, against Nomani and his two friends, according to news reports and a copy of the report, which CPJ reviewed.

Islam claimed that when Abdullah and his family sensed that they were being filmed, the journalist and his friends attempted to flee, but were chased and arrested by police at the scene, according to those sources.

The first information report accused Nomani and his two friends of violating sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to unauthorized collection of identity information and holding or transferring data illegally, according to those sources.

Each of those sections carry a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine between 50,000 taka (US$582) and 100,000 taka (US$1,164), according to the law.

Nomani did not receive medical attention for his injuries throughout his 17-day detention,according to the journalist, who said that on September 22, the 10th day of his detention, he was taken to a local hospital in Barisal on Abdullah’s instruction, where his broken fingers were x-rayed. The journalist did not receive further medical treatment before he was returned to jail, he said.

It was not until Nomani was released on interim bail on September 29, 2020, that the journalist received medical attention for his broken fingers and other injuries, he said.

The Digital Security Act proceedings against Nomani continue as of early February 2022, and Nomani must appear in court every month, as he has not yet been granted permanent bail, he said, adding that police have yet to file a chargesheet in the case.

Nomani told CPJ that in January 2021 and December 2021, respectively, Abdullah and Manna asked Nomani’s colleagues at The Daily Shahnama if the journalist was still in Barisal and threatened him, saying he should leave the city. Two witnesses supporting Abdullah also approached Nomani and pressured him to leave the city in August 2021 and fall 2021, according to the journalist.

Abdullah did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment sent via email and messaging app. Manna and Azimul Karim, the newly appointed officer-in-charge of Barisal’s Kotwali police station, did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment sent via messaging app. The Awami League, Chhatra League, and media officer of the Dhaka criminal investigation department did not respond to CPJ’s emailed requests for comment.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

On October 7, members of the All European Awami League, a Europe-focused branch of Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League party, filed a complaint with the Globen police department in Sweden’s Stockholm county against Khalil, editor-in-chief of the Sweden-based news website Netra News, claiming that the journalist had engaged in “a consistent effort to peddle a wave of disinformation and slanders against the government of Bangladesh” through Netra News, according to news reports and Khalil, who spoke with CPJ in a phone interview.

The complaint also alleges that Khalil, who lives in Sweden, has been “spreading smears and rumors to confuse the public and often casting as persons against the Prime Minister and her family members,” according to those reports.

Khalil told CPJ that the police have not contacted him, and he has not seen the complaint himself; CPJ was unable to review a copy of the complaint. The Swedish police can decide whether to pursue an investigation into the complaint, Khalil said.

“Bangladesh authorities and political leaders need to accept critical coverage by journalists like Tasneem Khalil, and stop trying to muzzle their voices through ceaseless harassment,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “The All European Awami League should withdraw its complaint against Khalil, and Bangladesh authorities must stop harassing Khalil and his family, and allow journalists to do their work without interference.”

Netra News has recently published a number of columns criticizing the Bangladesh government, the Awami League, and the crackdown on press freedom in the country.

CPJ emailed the All European Awami League and the office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who also serves as president of the Awami League, for comment, but did not receive any replies.

When CPJ called the Swedish national police, an officer declined to comment and requested that CPJ submit questions via email. When CPJ emailed the national police for comment, an officer referred questions to the Stockholm county police. CPJ emailed that office for comment but did not immediately receive any reply.

Separately, authorities in Bangladesh have repeatedly harassed Khalil’s mother, the journalist said.

On April 9, 2020, members of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, the intelligence section of the Bangladesh armed forces, visited the home of Khalil’s mother, Nazneen Khalil, questioned her about her private life, and asked her to speak to Khalil regarding his journalistic work which they alleged “tarnishes the image of the country,” according to news reports and a Facebook post by Khalil at the time.

On October 27, 2020, members of the Special Branch of the police in the northeastern Bangladesh city of Sylhet, where Nazneen Khalil lives, questioned her about the whereabouts of Khalil and his siblings, who are not journalists, according to Khalil and his Facebook post at the time.

CPJ called and emailed the office of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, but received error messages. Mofiz Uddin Ahmed, deputy inspector general of the Sylhet police, did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.

On September 12, the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal accepted Digital Security Act charges against Khalil on the basis of a police report that alleged that he made derogatory comments about government officials on his Facebook page and “instigated” Kabir Kishore, a Bangladeshi cartoonist, to “make anti-state rumors go viral on social media,” as CPJ documented at the time.

On October 6, police in Dhaka arrested Nusrat Shahrin Raka, the sister of exiled journalist Kanak Sarwar in apparent retaliation for his critical coverage of the Bangladesh government and ruling Awami League, as CPJ documented. Yesterday, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka denied Raka’s bail application, according to Sarwar, who spoke to CPJ via phone.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Very early yesterday morning, officers with the police Rapid Action Battalion raided Raka’s home in Uttara, a suburb of Dhaka, and took her and her three sons to the battalion’s headquarters in Dhaka, according to news reports and Kanak Sarwar, a journalist and Raka’s brother, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview.

Sarwar, who lives in exile in the United States, told CPJ that he believed that the arrest was in retaliation for his journalism and that Raka, who is a homemaker, had not committed any crime.

Police repeatedly questioned Raka about Sarwar, asking why he opposed the Bangladesh government and calling him “a freedom fighter,” Sarwar told CPJ, saying that he was able to briefly speak on the phone with his sister in detention. He said that authorities released Raka’s sons after about 30 hours, but she remains detained in a cell with no bed.

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka ordered Raka to be detained for five days, Sarwar said, adding that she suffers from asthma and has experienced difficulty breathing in custody as she is recovering from COVID-19. He also said that police broke several items inside the house during the raid, including closets and jewelry boxes.

Sarwar told CPJ that he believes all authorities’ accusations against his sister are false.

“Punishing exiled journalist Kanak Sarwar by arresting his sister, Nusrat Shahrin Raka, is a crude and barbaric form of retaliation that should shame the government of Bangladesh,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Authorities must immediately release Raka, cease targeting critical journalists or their family members, and allow the media to operate without interference.”

In a press release issued yesterday, which CPJ reviewed, the Rapid Action Battalion alleged that Raka was involved in “destroying peace and order in the country by spreading false, defamatory, and provocative information about the government and important personalities of the state on social media” and accused her of involvement with an unnamed group engaging in “conspiratorial propaganda activities” with Sarwar.

The press release also claimed that authorities seized a mobile phone, passport, methamphetamine, and anti-state content from Raka’s home, and that she revealed during interrogation that she was an active member of an anti-state propaganda and conspiracy ring.

The Rapid Action Battalion filed two complaints at the Uttara West police station under the Digital Security Act and Narcotics Control Act, which CPJ reviewed.

The Digital Security Act complaint alleges that Raka violated three sections of the act: the publication of offensive, false, or threatening information; defamation; and the transmission or publication of content that deteriorates law and order. Each of those offenses can carry a prison sentence of three to seven years and a fine of 300,000 to 500,000 taka (US $3,497 to $5,827), according to that law.

The other complaint alleges that Raka possessed narcotics; under the Narcotics Control Act, Raka could face up to three years in prison if charged and convicted, according to Sarwar, citing her lawyer.

Sarwar told CPJ that a fake Facebook page had been created in recent weeks using Raka’s name, email address, and phone number, and that account published posts criticizing the government. Sarwar said that Raka filed a complaint to the Uttara West police station about that account on October 1, which CPJ reviewed.

The police complaint under the Digital Security Act cited posts made on that Facebook page, and attributed them to Raka.

Sarwar is the former senior correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster Ekushey TV; authorities held him from March 3 to November 16, 2015, on accusations of sedition after Ekushey TV broadcasted a speech by Tarique Rahman, the son of an opposition leader, according to CPJ research and Sarwar. He now operates the YouTube channel Kanak Sarwar News, which covers Bangladesh politics and has been critical of the ruling Awami League.

On December 8, 2020, the Bangladesh High Court directed authorities to block Sarwar’s social media pages after he interviewed a politician in Bangladesh on YouTube, as CPJ documented at the time.

CPJ emailed the Uttara West police station for comment, but did not receive any reply. CPJ called and messaged Ashique Billah, spokesperson of the Rapid Action Battalion, but did not receive any response.

[Editors’ note: This article has been changed in its fourteenth paragraph to correct the 2015 accusations against Sarwar.]

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

On September 8 and 12, the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal accepted Digital Security Act charges against Kishore, a cartoonist; Khalil, editor of the Sweden-based news website Netra News; and Kajol, a photographer and editor with the Daily Pakkhakal magazine, according to multiple news reports and a person familiar with the cases, who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal by Bangladesh authorities.

Kishore and Kajol are currently free on bail, according to those sources. Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Khalil, who lives in Sweden, the journalist told CPJ in a phone interview.

Khalil said that the Bangladesh government did not inform him of the warrant, and he heard about it in the news. Bangladesh authorities have blocked domestic connections to Netra News since December 2019, according to Khalil and CPJ’s documentation from the time.

“The Bangladesh government must immediately cease its legal harassment of journalists Kabir Kishore, Tasneem Khalil, and Shafiqul Islam Kajol, who are being persecuted for their political commentary,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Authorities must drop all charges against them, stop harassing journalists in retaliation for their work, and repeal the draconian Digital Security Act, which enables these legal abuses.”

The Dhaka Cyber Tribunal accepted a charge sheet against Kajol on September 8, stemming from a criminal defamation complaint filed against him and dozens of others in March 2020 by Saifuzzaman Shikhor, a member of parliament with the ruling Awami League political party, according to various news reports, the person familiar with the case, and CPJ research, which said that two other people affiliated with the Awami League also filed two additional complaints against Kajol at that time.

The complaints cited Kajol’s critical writing on Facebook about local political leaders, and accused him of “publishing false news and circulating it on social media,” according to those sources. CPJ was unable to review Kajol’s Facebook posts, which have been taken down or set to private.

Kajol was charged under sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to transmission or publication of offensive, false, or threatening information; unauthorized collection of identity information without lawful authority; publication or transmission of defamatory information; and publication or transmission of information that creates enmity, hatred, or hostility between different classes or communities of society, according to person familiar with the case and the charge sheet, which CPJ reviewed.

If convicted, each of those charges can carry a prison sentence between three and seven years, and a fine from 300,000 to 500,000 taka (US $3,517 to $5,861), according to the law. The next hearing in his case is scheduled for October 20, according to news reports and the person familiar with the case.

CPJ emailed and texted Shikhor at the address and phone number listed on his website, but received error messages in response. CPJ emailed the office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who also serves as president of the Awami League, for comment, but did not immediately receive any reply.

Separately, on September 12, the cyber tribunal accepted charges submitted by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of the detective branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police against Kishore, Khalil, and five others, according to various news reports and the person familiar with the cases.

The charges stem from a police report alleging that Kishore and five others ran a Facebook page that criticized the government; that Khalil made derogatory comments about government officials on his Facebook page; and that Khalil also “instigated” Kishore to “make anti-state rumours go viral on social media,” according to CPJ research and a report by Netra News.

In March, Kishore told CPJ that, during his previous detention as part of this case, unidentified men beat, abused, and tortured him while asking about his cartoons. CPJ has called on the Bangladesh government to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations of torture.

Kishore and Khalil were charged under sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to the publication of propaganda against the liberation war of Bangladesh or national symbols; transmission or publication of offensive, false, or threatening information; publication of content that creates enmity, hatred, or hostility among different classes or communities; and abetment of an offense, according to the person familiar with their cases, who reviewed the charge sheet.

Those charges can carry prison sentences between three and ten years and fines of 300,000 to 10,000,000 taka (US $3,517 to $117,207), according to the law.

The next hearing in Kishore and Khalil’s cases is scheduled for September 30, according to the person familiar with the case.

CPJ contacted Khandaker Al Moyeen, the director of the legal and media wing of the Rapid Action Battalion, which opened the investigation into Kishore and Khalil in May 2020, via messaging app for comment, but did not receive any response. CPJ also contacted Mohammad Rassell Mollah, the investigating officer who submitted the charge sheet against Kajol, via messaging app for comment, but did not receive any response.

CPJ also emailed Md. Shafiqul Islam, commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, for comment on all three cases, but did not receive any reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Authorities allege that Akhtaruzzaman published two Facebook posts under a pseudonym accusing Samir Hossain Mishu, the health and family planning officer at the Sadar Upazila Family Planning Office, and Shamina Akter, the office’s head assistant and accountant, of corruption and failure to pay honoraria due to health volunteers, according to those reports. Mishu and Akter did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment via messaging app.

CPJ reviewed the police report and the Facebook posts, which were posted on July 17 from an account under the name of Aftab Ahmed. The first one appeared on Ahmed’s profile, and the second one on a page where healthcare volunteers shared information. Akhtaruzzaman was a volunteer healthcare worker, according to the national daily newspaper The Daily Star.

The arrest and investigation stem from a complaint filed by Akter, which alleged that the posts included false and misleading information intended to malign Akter and Mishu’s reputations, according to a copy of Akter’s complaint, which CPJ reviewed.

Emran Mahmud Tuhin, inspector of the detective branch of police in Bogura, told The Daily Star that the police identified Akhtaruzzaman as the operator of the Facebook account through “information technology” and by confiscating his laptop and phone.

Police are investigating Akhtaruzzaman under sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to illegal access to a digital device, digital or electronic fraud, transmission of offensive, false, or threatening information, publication of defamatory information, and breaching the secrecy of the government, according to the police report; he has not yet been charged.

Each of those charges can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years, and a fine of up to 2,500,000 taka (US$29,497), per the Digital Security Act.

CPJ emailed Banijjo Pratidin for comment but received a reply email that the publication’s inbox was full. CPJ called and texted Khairul Basar Niluj, Akhtaruzzaman’s lawyer, but did not receive any response.

CPJ contacted Mohammad Selim Reza, officer-in-charge of Bogura Sadar police station, via messaging app, but did not receive any reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

On July 10, police in the northeast district of Thakurgaon opened Digital Security Act investigations into the three journalists, according to news reports and a police report, which CPJ reviewed.

Authorities are investigating Tanu, the Thakurgaon district correspondent for the news websites Jago News and Daily Ittefaq and the privately owned broadcaster Independent Television; Shuvo, a correspondent for the news website NewsBangla24.com; and Litu, a correspondent for the news websites Jugantor and Bangladesh Pratidin and the privately owned broadcaster News 24, according to those sources.

On the night of July 10, police arrested Tanu when he went to the local Sadar police station to inquire about the investigation; they then transferred him to the Sadar Hospital yesterday morning for treatment for respiratory issues, and released him on bail later that day, those reports said. Police handcuffed Tanu to a hospital bed while he received treatment, according to those reports. 

Shuvo told CPJ via messaging app that he and Litu have not been arrested as of today.

“Bangladesh authorities should drop their Digital Security Act investigations into journalists Tanvir Hasan Tanu, Rahim Shuvo, and Abdul Latif Litu immediately,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “The Bangladesh government must repeal the act, cease harassing journalists, and allow them to do their jobs, which are a public service, not a crime.”

The investigations stem from a complaint filed by Nadirul Aziz Chapal, the superintendent of the Thakurgaon Sadar Hospital, who alleged that the journalists published reports about the hospital intended to defame and spread enmity and hatred, according to a copy of his complaint, which CPJ reviewed. CPJ called and texted Chapal for comment, but he did not reply.

The complaint referenced a July 5 article by Tanu in Jago News; a July 8 article by Shuvo in NewsBangla24.com; and a July 7 article in Jugantor, published anonymously, which Chapal alleges Litu authored. All three articles detailed allegations that Thakurgaon Sadar Hospital provided sub-standard food to COVID-19 patients.

Police are investigating the three journalists under sections of the Digital Security Act pertaining to the publication of offensive, false, or threatening information; propaganda; defamatory information; information that creates enmity, hatred, or hostility among different classes or communities; and abetment of an offense, according to the police report.

Each of those counts can carry maximum prison sentences ranging from three years to five years and maximum fines ranging from 300,000 taka ($3,540) to 500,000 taka ($5,900).

CPJ called and texted Dalim Kumar, the Thakurgaon district police sub-inspector leading the investigations, but did not receive any reply.

CPJ has repeatedly documented how authorities abuse the Digital Security Act to harass journalists, and has called for its repeal.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.