Repeal DSA, amendment not enough

GBNEWS24DESK//

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has urged for the immediate repeal of the Digital Security Act, stating that merely amending the law will not suffice.

The law has been arbitrarily used to suppress dissent, stifle the media’s voice, and arrest people without proper legal proceedings, violating the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression, reads a statement yesterday.

It has led to insecurity, disappearances, and even deaths becoming common, and played a role in the alarming development of communal, fundamentalist, and radical fanaticism, the organisation added.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman emphasised that the law has created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among the media, civil society, and ordinary people in the name of digital security.

“Repeal the draconian Digital Security Act, 2018 and formulate a law specifically for digital infrastructure in the light of international experience and by involving all stakeholders in the relevant sectors,” he said.