Bangladesh law minister says Digital Security Act will not be repealed, but changes will be made

Anisul Huq says the law will be revised before the election

Law Minister Anisul Huq has said changes will be made to the Digital Security Act, but reiterated that it will not be abolished entirely.

“I want to state clearly that the law will not be scrapped, but some amendments will be made on issues we discussed,” he said at an event at the capital’s Midas Centre following questions over demands pressed by the Editors' Council.

The Editors' Council organised a discussion demanding the abolition of the law at the National Press Club in Dhaka, marking World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday.

The council also demanded the addition of a separate section mentioning that the law would not be applied to media, independent journalism and the right to free expression if the government does not abolish the law.

The minister said the law was not enacted to 'rob' journalists of their independence, though there have been cases where the law was 'misused' after its introduction. He added that the government supported independent journalism.

“The need for the law became apparent in Bangladesh, like in other countries, when the number of cyber crimes shot up due to a spike in digital platforms following progress in the technology sector. The government knows that the law was sometimes misused since its introduction, but the number of such cases have declined due to measures taken by the government,” Huq said.

Parliament gave the green light to the Digital Security Act in September 2018 amidst objection from journalists, lawyers, intellectuals and global human rights agencies.

“We received a technical note from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. They also suggested repealing some sections and making some corrections. We are working to get them done by September.”

"Although we differ in opinions, we will make the necessary amendments by September, during the term of the current government."

The minister said the government was working on making the law more 'transparent' and security forces have been instructed to stop the unnecessary arrests of journalists.

“Not all cases are accepted now. [Complaints] are now sent to a special cell and a case is filed to the court after assessment.”