Amnesty International has urged the Bangladeshi authorities to immediately release Hriday Chandra Mondal, a schoolteacher who was arrested on charges of “hurting religious sentiment” after he discussed in the classroom the distinction between religion and science.
In the discussion at Binodpur Ram Kumar High School in Munshiganj, Hriday argued that “religion is a matter of faith” while “science looks at evidence”, according to a recording shared on social media, the UK-based organization said on Saturday.
In the audio recording accessed by Amnesty International, the teacher said: “There is no evidence in religion. Religion in the end says God will take care of everything. Religion offers memorized words whereas science shows evidence.”
On March 22, two days after the recording was made, the school’s headteacher told the media that students and other people from the community were demonstrating outside the school calling for Hriday to be punished.
Later that day, an office assistant of the school filed a case with the police against the teacher, who was subsequently arrested.
He has since been in custody after being denied bail twice. The next bail hearing is scheduled for April 10 at the district and sessions judge court.
“It is outrageous that a teacher finds himself behind bars simply for voicing his opinion while teaching a class. Teachers should be free to discuss ideas and opinions of all kinds without fear of reprisals,” said Smriti Singh, deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International.
Hriday must be released immediately and unconditionally, she demanded.
“Hriday Chandra Mondal’s detention is emblematic of a disturbing trend in Bangladesh, where the space for free expression is rapidly shrinking. Detaining a teacher for simply discussing ideas in class sets a dangerous precedent where even challenging students to think critically can now land someone in jail”
Several civil society and academic organizations, including the Bangladesh Astronomical Association and the Centre for Women Journalists, have condemned the arrest and raised concerns about the ability of academics to teach.
Similarly, human rights defenders, lawyers and teachers around the country have raised questions about the time of the arrest, which according to them appears to be politically motivated, read the Amnesty statement.
Under international human rights law, exercising the right to freedom of expression may only be subjected to certain restrictions if they are provided by a clearly formulated law and are demonstrably necessary and proportionate for the purpose of protecting specified public interests—national security, public order, public health or morals—or the rights or reputations of others.
Protection of abstract concepts or religious or other beliefs, or the religious sensibilities of their adherents, is not a permissible ground for restricting the right to freedom of expression, argued Amnesty.
