There is a huge outcry across the country following the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed on Thursday night after he had been confined in the Kashimpur High Security Prison in Gazipur for nine months. Citizens raised questions in protest rallies and social media platforms asking, who is responsible for this death?
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Mushtaq on 6 March last year. RAB filed a lawsuit against him on allegation of spreading “conspiratorial conversation and rumours” under the Digital Security Act. Eleven people including cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and Rashtrochinta activist Didarul Islam Bhuiyan were made accused in the case. Didarul Islam Bhuiyan was released on bail but bail petitions filed by Kishore and Mushtaq were denied for as many as six times. On 23 February, both were last produced before the court in the case. According to the accounts of Mushtaq’s family, they saw him healthy on that day. So how would he die on the evening of 25 February?
An editorial titled “Digital Security Act must be amended” was published on Prothom Alo on the day and writer Mushtaq Ahmed died on the same night. We didn’t fear that the law will literally take the life of a 53-year-old person. The person was a writer; he was active in expressing his views on social media platforms.
The law, Digital Security Act, has been formulated to restraint the exercise of constitutional rights on freedom of thoughts and expression in the digital media. And we have been witnessing that the law is somewhat being used as the tool to torture and repress many people. But we didn’t doubt that anyone will “break free from one’s life” inside the prison after getting deprived of the opportunity to be free by being denied bail repeatedly.
Expressing his reaction, former chairman of National Human Rights Commission, Mizanur Rahman wrote in Prothom Alo online, “The death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed is a very sad incident. Such a death cannot be acceptable. The state, the government and law enforcement agencies are responsible for the death of a writer who had been detained for days simply for expressing his thoughts.” There is no logic to differ with this statement. Different government agencies and pro-government people concerned, who are involved with politics, are misusing the Digital Security Act for their petty interest. They are showing excuses of “conspiracy against the state” or anti-state propaganda, rumours, etc.
Dishonest methods are being followed to prepare charge sheet; false deposition is being recorded; time of investigation is extended by not submitting charge sheet within deadline; even time petition is not being filed in some cases; activities have been carried out capriciously. Few basic principles of the country’s supreme law and constitution are being violated; democracy and rule of law are being utterly destroyed to prevent the citizens’ freedom of thoughts and expression and the criticism of government activities in such way.
Carrying out a fair and neutral investigation is necessary to reveal the actual reason of Mushtaq’s death. Result of the investigation should be made public to the country people including his family. Ailing cartoonist Ahmed Kabit Kishore, who is now behind bars in the same case, must be released. All other people, who have been victims of the misuse of Digital Security Act and taken to jail illegally, must be released too. And we say again, an initiative must be taken to amend the law titled Digital Security Act in compliance with the constitution of Bangladesh and the international laws.