Efforts are underway to make the Digital Security Act (DSA) more people-friendly, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq has said.
He also said that authorities are taking measures to stop the misuse of DSA.
The minister made the statement at a round table organized by the Editors Guild at the Dhaka Gallery in the capital's Banani on Saturday.
In a letter sent by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to Bangladesh, they recommended repealing two sections (21 and 28) of the act and making eight amendments.
"A team of our country (consisting of officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ICT Division, and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs) have been merged with the United Nations team. They discussed and sent a technical note,” said Anisul Huq.
He added: “They are asking to repeal Article 21 of the act, but that is impossible for me. To be clear, our reality requires Article 21; which came up in the discussion. In the discussion, the protection of the media under that law was also brought up, we will definitely highlight that.”
The law minister said there are some previous cases of hurting religious sentiments, liberties, and crimes under the Penal Code.
These previous case documents can help lawyers and police working on the current cases, he said.
The minister acknowledged that there had been instances DSA was misused, however, he also emphasized that the act serves a significant purpose.
“There is a group, which promotes this act by linking it with politics. I am sure, they do not help people with this act. Instead, they go to Washington DC, Brussels, and Geneva and say the law is bad,” he said.
"I would say that this law is not designed to prevent harm to minorities, but rather for the benefit of the entire population of the country,” Anisul Huq noted.