The Coalition for Human Rights & Democracy in Bangladesh (CHRD Bangladesh) strongly condemns the recent closure of 191 websites in Bangladesh for allegedly publishing “anti-state news.” It is another nail in an almost coffin of media freedom and public expression by Sheikh Hasina, the autocratic Prime Minister of the country since 2009.
The freedom of expression in Bangladesh suffers strict censorship under the draconian Digital Security Act (DSA). The DSA came under strong opposition from international communities, including the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the U.N.’s independent experts, the European Union, U.S. based Human Rights Watch, as well as a large number of journalists and intellectuals in Bangladesh. The DSA penalized people, including minors, for the slightest criticism of the regime and the ruling family members.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was notorious in applying the provisions of the act on doctors, healthcare workers, journalists, academics, artists, students and political opposition members who criticized the government for its inept handling of the Covid-19 Pandemic. In December 2021, the US sanctioned the RAB and some of its top officials for serious human rights violations that included enforced disappearances, extrajudicial murders, unlawful arrests and torture.
The France-based Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontières or RSF) places Bangladesh at 162, out of 180 nations, in the Press Freedom Index indicating one of the lowest ranks for the freedom of expression under the authoritarian regime of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.