Bangladesh ministers discuss Digital Security Act, writer’s death in jail with UN rights chief

They also discuss the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed in jail custody

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 14 August 2022, 05:10 PM
Updated : 14 August 2022, 05:10 PM

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Law Minister Anisul Huq have discussed the Digital Security Act, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial killing and many other issues with UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

The ministers separately met Bachelet, who arrived in Dhaka on a four-day trip on Sunday in the first visit by a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to Bangladesh.

After the meeting, Anisul said they discussed the Act, freedom of press and speech, and the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed in jail custody. “I’ve told her exactly the same things I had told you [media] about the Digital Security Act.”

The ministry is working with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to improve the Act, which is criticised for its alleged abuse to muffle journalism and freedom of expression. Representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs, home affairs and ICT are also working with them.

“Discussions are ongoing on ways to ensure the best practice of the law. I’ve also received a report. I will take a decision on the next course of action after seeing this report,” Anisul said.

He said he read out the post-mortem examination report to Bachelet when the UN commissioner for human rights asked about Mushtaq’s death. “She then stopped asking questions about the issue.”

Mushtaq died in jail in February 2021, nearly 10 months after he had been arrested in a case under the Digital Security Act. Cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, who was also arrested on the same charges, alleged torture before he was officially shown arrested.

The UN rights chief emphasised training of the law enforcement on human rights issues. “I asked them [UN] to send a proposal. We’ll obviously consider that.”

‘NO EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLING’

Foreign Minister Momen said he told Bachelet no extrajudicial killing takes place in Bangladesh now. “They [UN rights chief] didn’t raise the issue. We ourselves said we will investigate allegations of such incidents.”

“There had been stories about people dying of heart attack during operations by the law enforcers from 2003 to 2005. We don’t hear these anymore.”

Momen also said no person has been subjected to enforced disappearance. “Some say 76 people have gone missing in the past 10 years. But 10 of these 76 people were found roaming. We don’t know about the others.”

He alleged the families of these missing people do not give information to the law enforcers out of fear.

Bachelet raised the condition of freedom of the press during the meeting. Momen told her that Bangladesh’s media are “very vibrant”. “They catch us whenever we say something. We never ask them to stop this.”