Govt killing July spirit through CSA cases: DSA Victims Network

Even after seven months of the mass uprising, the government continuous to suppress the spirit of July by filing cases under the Cyber Security Act (CSA), according to Digital Security Act (DSA) Victims Network. They also believe that the government is slowly losing public trust.

The Network expressed their concerns in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The statement highlighted that even in post-uprising Bangladesh, the notorious has not been repealed; rather new cases are being filed under it. Instead of halting the registering of cases under this Act, the government and law enforcement agencies are proceeding with new cases and rushing to make arrests without proper investigation.

It noted that the repeal of the CSA, along with all other repressive laws, was one of the key commitments of the interim government. Furthermore, the government had announced the repeal of this law as early as August last year. However, despite taking additional time on at least four occasions, the government has continued to uphold the law. Most recently, on 21 January, the law adviser stated that the formalities for repealing the CSA had been completed by the Ministry of Law. Only a few remaining tasks needed to be finalised by the information communication technology (ICT) ministry before the official repeal could be announced.

However, even after nearly one and a half months, the ICT ministry has not completed the necessary tasks and the law has not yet been repealed. Moreover, the previous cases under this Act have not been dismissed; instead new cases have been continuing to be filed.

The statement highlighted a lack of genuine commitment on the part of the government to repealing the CSA and other repressive laws. It further stated that such negligence on the government’s part is effectively killing the spirit of the July uprising. Due to incompetence and inefficiency, the interim government is increasingly losing public trust.

In light of this situation, the DSA Victims Network has demanded the immediate repeal of the CSA and all other repressive laws, the release of those arrested under these laws, compensation for victims and the establishment of accountability in the legislative framework that enables the creation of such repressive laws.

The statement was signed by 28 individuals, including human rights activists, academics, researchers, lawyers, journalists, Baul singers and students. Notable figures include photographer Shahidul Alam, DSA Victims Network convener Golam Mahfuz Joarder, member secretary Pritam Das, Rastro Songskar Andolon finance coordinator Didarul Bhuiyan, Supreme Court lawyer Monjila Jhuma and PhD researcher at the University of Pittsburgh of USA, Maidul Islam.