Digital Security Act has made normal practice of journalism risky: Editors’ Council

Describing several sections of the Digital Security Act as “contradictory to the freedom of press, guaranteed by the constitution”, the Editors’ Council has demanded immediate release of the journalists and writers arrested in cases under the law.

The council in a statement on Saturday also demanded immediate amendment of the law and withdrawal of the cases under the act.

Criminals committing offences on digital platforms must be brought to justice, but the law needs to be amended immediately to ensure that it is not applied against the media and free-spirited writers, the statement added.

Citing Article 19, a UK-based human rights group, the council said 457 people were prosecuted and arrested in 198 cases under the Digital Security Act in 2020 amid the coronavirus crisis. As many as 65 of them are journalists, including 32 who are now facing trial.

The government wanted a law to prevent crimes committed through digital devices and to provide security in the digital sphere, but the act has ended up “policing media operations and controlling the media contents”, according to the statement.

Noting that 14 of the about 20 sections of the law relating to crime and punishment are non-bailable, the Editors’ Council said, “This has inevitably created an atmosphere of fear, where the normal practice of journalism has become even more risky.”

The group of editors referenced the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed in jail and the arrest of cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in the statement. All of them were charged under the Digital Security Act.   

"It is no exaggeration to say that in some cases, the implementation of the Digital Security Act is more concerning than we fear. Mushtaq Ahmed, a free-spirited writer, had to prove it with his life," the council said.

Although Kishore and Kajol have secured bail, they are struggling to continue with the cases due to physical and financial conditions.