Published : 07 Dec 2025, 04:23 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 02:51 PM
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Sara Hossain has called for an end to the “practice” of filing cases against cartoonists and meme creators, highlighting the need to protect democratic expression in Bangladesh.
On Saturday at Dhaka’s National Press Club, she told a discussion that the “core” of democratic practice is listening to others, a media statement from the satire Facebook page “earki” said.
The discussion was organised jointly by Nagorik Coalition and “earki” following a series of complaints filed on Dec 2 by Dhaka University Central Students’ Union Vice-President Shadik Kayem against several meme, satire, and cartoon pages.
The event brought together satirists, meme creators, politicians, cartoonists, humourists, journalists, lawyers, and activists to clarify the distinction between satire, memes, humour, cartoons, and defamation.
Participants called for the immediate withdrawal of the cases, and urged legal safeguards for content creators, students, and professionals.
They also stressed the importance of maintaining strong protection for freedom of expression.
At the discussion titled “Satire, Memes, Cartoons as Expression, Not Defamation”, Sara said: “We must move away from the practice of filing cases or sending someone to jail simply because they draw cartoons or create memes. Democracy cannot be sustained by elections alone. It requires respect for people’s opinions.
“The most important aspect of democratic practice is listening to others, engaging in debate, and tolerating viewpoints we may not agree with.”
“Memes and cartoons are important because they allow people who do not hold equal power to question authority,” she added. “Society needs space for such content. Recently, these cases have been used to narrow that space.”
