Court accepts charges against cartoonist Kishore, 6 others

A tribunal on Sunday accepted charges against seven people, including cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, in a case filed under the Digital Security Act on charges of spreading rumours and carrying out anti-government activities, reports UNB.

The court of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal judge Ash-Shams Jaglul Hussein accepted the charge sheet in the case.

Writer Mushtaq Ahmed’s name was dropped from the charge sheet as he died on 25 February.

The three others accused who were exonerated from the charges are -- US-based journalist Shahed Alam, Germany-based bloggers Asif Mohiuddin, and Philip Schuhmacher.

The tribunal also fixed 30 September for framing charges against them.

The tribunal also issued arrest warrant against Shamiul Islam Khan alias Zulkarnain Saer Khan, Netra News editor Tasneem Khalil, Ashik Imran and Swapan Wahid.

On 13 June, police submitted a supplementary charge sheet against seven people, including cartoonist Kishore.

Afsar Ahmed, Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit (CTTC) sub-inspector, also the investigative officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court.

The charge-sheeted accused are -- Shamiul Islam Khan alias Zulkarnain Saer Khan, cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, Dildar Bhuiya, former managing director of BLE securities Minhaj Mannan Emon, Netra News Editor Tasneem Khalil, Ashik Imran and Swapan Wahid.

In February, police submitted a charge sheet against three of the accused, dropping the names of eight others.

Later, a Dhaka court ordered the DMP CTTC unit to further investigate all the 11 accused in the case.

On 6 May last year, RAB filed the case against the 11 people with Ramna police station on charges of spreading rumours and carrying out anti-government activities, under the DSA.