A Dhaka tribunal today framed charges against cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, Hungary-based entrepreneur Zulkarnain Saer Khan alias Sami and five others in a case filed under Digital Security Act for "spreading rumours and carrying out anti-government activities".
Earlier in the day, the tribunal cancelled bail of Kishore and issued arrest warrant against him as he has been absent at the court for the two consecutive dates.
The five others are Swedish-Bangladeshi journalist Tasneem Khalil, who runs Netra News; Minhaj Mannan Emon, managing director of BLE securities and shareholder-director of Dhaka Stock Exchange; Didarul Islam, a member of politico-civic organisation called Rashtrachinta; Ashik Imran; and Shapan Wahed.
Minhaj and Didarul, now on bail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge Mohammad Ash Sams Joglul Hossain of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal read out the charges to them.
Five others, including Kishore and Sami, are now on the run.
The tribunal also dismissed two separate petitions submitted for discharging Minhaj and Didarul from the charges of the case.
The tribunal fixed April 7 for starting trial of the case.
Investigation Officer Md Afchhar Ahmed, a sub-inspector of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of police, on June 13 last year submitted the supplementary charge sheet with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.
Writer Mushtaq Ahmed, US-based journalist Shahed Alam; Germany-based blogger Asif Mohiuddin and Philip Schuhmacher were dropped from the charge sheet.
On May 6 of 2020, Rab-3's Assistant Director Abu Bakar Siddique filed the case against 11 people, including Kishore, Mushtaq, Didarul and Minhaj with Ramna Police Station under the DSA.
On September 12 last year, the same tribunal accepted the charges against Kishore and six others and issued arrest warrants against Sami and three others as they were shown "fugitives" in the charge sheet.
But police failed to arrest them as the four live abroad.
Writer Mushtaq Ahmed's name was dropped from the charge sheet as he died at Kashimpur High Security Jail on February 25 last year.
The tribunal also relieved US-based journalist Shahed Alam; Germany-based blogger Asif Mohiuddin and Philip Schuhmacher as the IO dropped their names from the charges as he did not find their involvement with the incident.
