British journalist David Bergman has criticized the filing of cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act against former minister and expelled Awami League leader Latif Siddique, along with 15 others.
Those taking such action were not acting in the interest of the country or the current government, he said in a post on his verified Facebook account on Friday.
On Thursday, Latif Siddique and 15 others were taken into custody following a meeting of the organization Moncho 71. They were accused of conspiring to destabilize the country through armed struggle with the aim of overthrowing the government.
Referring to the incident, Bergman argued that while some may have found speeches at the meeting provocative or controversial, the detainees had not committed any criminal offense.
He further warned that the practice of suppressing dissent had been followed by the previous government as well, and a similar tendency could now be observed among the current political forces.
Commenting on what he described as the rise of a “mob culture” in Bangladesh over the past year, Bergman said the government’s actions would only reinforce this trend. He added that those who disrupted the meeting in groups would feel emboldened to continue such actions in the future.
Bergman also cautioned that these incidents were strengthening allegations that the current government had adopted an anti-Liberation War stance.