The Editors' Council (Sampadak Parishad) of Bangladesh, an association formed to protect editorial freedom and promote responsible journalism in the country, has expressed deep shock and concern over the growing number of Digital Security Act (DSA) cases against journalists.
They have expressed concern over the Digital Security Act (DSA) case against Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman and reporter Samsuzzaman Shams being sent to jail, said a press release issued on Thursday.
Meanwhile, they noted that another case under DSA was filed on Thursday against Mahbub Alam Lablu, a staff reporter for Daily Jugantor in Chittagong.
“In other words, the Editors' Council feels that filing cases against journalists one after another under the Digital Security Act is a serious blow to the newspaper industry and freedom of expression,” they said.
The Editors' Council mentioned that journalists in Bangladesh continue to face harassment and abuse in the enforcement of the DSA, said the press release.
They noted that they had issued another statement on Wednesday demanding the release of all arrested journalists under the act, however, “it is unfortunate to note that Shamsuzzaman Shams was denied bail and sent to jail.”
The law minister had said necessary amendments would be made to prevent misuse of DSA and assured of not using the act arbitrarily in the case of journalists.
“But despite his assurances, we note with deep concern the growing number of incidents against journalists under this act. We consider these actions as clear examples of threats to press freedom,” reads the statement.
Editors' Council has reiterated its strong demand for the immediate withdrawal of all the cases filed against journalists under DSA, including the cases filed against Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman and reporter Samsuzzaman Shams and Jugantor staff reporter Mahbub Alam Lablu.
Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams has been sent to jail in a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA) with Ramna police station over publishing a report on March 26.
A team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police picked up Samsuzzaman Shams from his rented house in Ashulia, Savar, at around 5am on Wednesday.
The Prothom Alo reporter spoke to people, including a child named Shobuj, on March 25, on the eve of Independence Day, and submitted a report on people's suffering due to price hikes. The report was published on March 26.
The news drew criticism as the newspaper used the child's photo with a quote from a 40-year-old labourer named Zakir, identifying the child as Zakir and not Shobuj.
Prothom Alo withdrew the report within about half an hour and issued a correction later in the day, saying there had been an inconsistency between the headline and the accompanying photo. Alongside the news item, the newspaper had also posted a poster on its social media handle.