Dr. Pinaki Bhattacharya, a physician turned writer and a popular online political activist now residing in Paris, France and Mushfiqul Fazal Ansary, a reputed diplomatic, White House and U.S. State Department correspondent in Washington D.C., were indicted in Dhaka under the draconian Digital Security Act (DSA) on charges of “conspiracy and tarnishing the image of Bangladesh.” The Bangladesh government’s claim is that the police will soon issue arrest warrants against them through Interpol.
According to Dhaka’s Daily Star publication of November 17, 2022, the case originated from a Facebook post from October 14, 2022 of Mofizur Rahman. The post was said to contain distorted information about a police operation in a Dhaka suburb. The alleged crime of Pinaki Bhattacharya and Mushfiqul Fazal Ansary was that they responded to Mofizur Rahman’s Facebook post. Mr. Rahman is now in police custody, which is likely to involve torture and human rights violations.
Earlier, the European Awami League filed a case against Pinaki Bhattacharya for conducting anti-government “propaganda.” This accusation is based on the fact that Mr. Bhattacharya is a renowned social media personality whose truthful news videos are well received by audiences all over the world.
In an article published in the Aequitas Review publication on January 8, 2022, human rights campaigner and CHRD Bangladesh Advisory Board member Ahmad Shihab wrote about how the draconian Digital Security Act (suspected to be the brainchild of U.S. resident Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Sheikh Hasina’s son) is widely applied against the critics of the ongoing authoritarian regime in Bangladesh. According to Brad Adams, the Asia director of Human Rights Watch, “The new Digital Security Act is a tool ripe for abuse and a clear violation of the country’s obligations under international law to protect free speech.”
Even a small parody poem against Sheikh Hasina, her government or her family members fetches jail terms. Thousands, including minors, are languishing in jails or police custody, in other words, in torture cells, under the DSA. When the police cannot get the accused from overseas, it usually takes revenge on their relatives in Bangladesh. (Please see the report below: https://chrdbangladesh.org/2021/10/06/chrd-bangladeshs-statement-against-the-persecution-of-a-family-member-of-dissident-journalist-dr-kanak-sarwar/)
The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh appeals to the US authorities and other human rights organizations to intervene and help not only Pinaki Bhattacharya, Mushfiqul Fazal Ansary and Mofizur Rahman but also thousands of other victims of the lethal and unconstitutional DSA. We also call on the U.S. authorities to intervene in putting an end to other serious abuses of human rights and democratic freedoms in Bangladesh under the authoritarian regime of Sheikh Hasina since 2009.
*The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh) is a nonprofit organization based and registered in the United States. (www.chrdbangladesh.org)
November 21, 2022
