Inu urges editors to postpone human chain

Hasanul Haq Inu
Hasanul Haq Inu

Urging the Sampadak Parishad (Editors' Council) to postpone its Saturday's human chain protesting against the Digital Security Bill, information minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Wednesday invited the editors to sit with him and others on Sunday, reports UNB.

A letter signed by the minister was sent to the general secretary of the council in the evening, said a handout of the information ministry.

In the letter, the minister said he along with law minister Ansiul Huq, posts, telecommunications and information technology minister Mustafa Jabber and prime minister's media affairs adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury wants to sit with the Editors' Council at the conference room of his ministry at 12:00 noon on Sunday or at the convenient time of the council.

Mentioning that the information ministry has paid deep attention to the concern and statement of the Editors' Council over the Digital Security Bill which was passed in parliament recently, Inu said the meeting is very essential for a speedy and acceptable solution keeping the freedom of press, free flow of information and government's sincerity and respect to right to information intact.

He also expressed his belief that there is scope of resolving the matter through discussion.

Sent letter signed by the information minister to the Sampadak Parishad. Photo: UNB
Sent letter signed by the information minister to the Sampadak Parishad. Photo: UNB

The minister requested the Editors' Council to postpone its Saturday's human chain programme.

At the same time, letters were sent to leaders of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) and Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) inviting them to a meeting at the Information Ministry at 3:00pm on Sunday.|

Expressing its deep regret at the passage of the Digital Security Bill 2018, which it considers to be against the freedom guaranteed by the constitution, media freedom and freedom of speech, the Editors' Council at a meeting on 22 September decided to stage a human chain at 11:00am on 29 September in front of the Jatiya Press Club.

The much-talked-about 'The Digital Security Bill, 2018' was passed in parliament on 19 September to deal with cybercrimes, including hurting the religious sentiment, negative propaganda against the Liberation War and Bangabandhu, and illegal activities in e-transactions and spreading defamatory data.