The Editors' Council on Tuesday said that the Digital Security Act was a threat to freedom of press and urged the authorities to reform the act for ensuring free media and journalism in Bangladesh.
The Council, in a statement marking the World Press Freedom Day 2022, said that the journalists in Bangladesh were facing different types of challenges during this digital era.
The statement signed by Editors’ Council president Mahfuz Anam and general secretary Dewan Hanif Mahmud said that many cases were lodged against journalists under Digital security Act and many journalists were arrested under the act.
The World Press Freedom Day is being observed on May 3 this year across the world with the theme of ‘Journalism under Digital Siege’ as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom.
The day is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics, the statement said.
Besides journalists, Editors' Council said, activists, artists and writers were also being prosecuted under the DSA.
The statement said that journalists were being under digital surveillance and threatened in performing their duty across the world.
The council cited UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay’s call to protect journalism and journalists by creating awareness about the opportunities and risks of working in the digital era and prepare a framework.
The statement said that the journalists in Bangladesh had been carrying out their duties despite many threats and challenges, including the DSA.
Citing the World Press Freedom Index-2021 prepared by France based Reporters Without Borders that shows Bangladesh ranks 152nd among 180 nations, Editors’ Council said that they, under this circumstances, were equivocal with the World Press Freedom Day’s call for upholding free and safe working weather for journalists.
‘From the very beginning, the Editors' Council and journalists expressed their concern and put objections against the act (DSA). The law minister, some days ago, also admitted that the law was misused in different ways. The minister also hinted to reform it. The minister's comments proved that the concerns of the Editors' Council were appropriate,’ the statement said.
‘The UNESCO publication titled ‘Threats that silence: Trends in the safety of journalism’ shows that journalism is threatened and affected by digital surveillance and hacking across the globe. Digital surveillance can disclose the information collected by journalists and expose their sources, consequently causing security concern of the sources. Such surveillance can also expose journalists' personal information that will in turn lower their own security,’ the statement read.
Digital measures – surveillance, online harassment, hacking – are being utilized by both states and non-state entities to disrupt journalists in their professional pursuits and also compromising their personal security, it added.
The security forces in different countries have been adopting many digital surveillance measures and expanding their activities that are causing obstacle to the press freedom, the council observed, quoting the UNESCO publication.
