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The ambassadors and high commissioners of 13 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Dhaka have expressed their sorrow over the death of the author Mushtaq Ahmed while he was in prison in a case under the Digital Security Law.
They demanded a swift, transparent, independent and thorough investigation into the incident. They made the demand in a joint statement on Friday night (February 26).
They said that Mushtaq Ahmed had been in pre-trial detention under the Digital Security Act (DSA) since May 5 last year. We know that you have been denied bail on several occasions and are concerned about the treatment you received while in detention. We extend our condolences to his family and friends. We urge the Government of Bangladesh to carry out a swift, transparent, independent and thorough investigation into the death of Mushtaq Ahmed.
“Our governments are deeply concerned about the provisions of the Digital Security Act and its implementation,” they said. At the same time, we will continue to discuss with the Government of Bangladesh issues related to the compatibility of this law with Bangladesh’s obligations to international human rights law and standards.
The statement was signed by the ambassadors and high commissioners of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Italy, Germany, France, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland in Dhaka.
It is worth mentioning that on May 5 last year, a RAB team arrested cartoonist Kishore from Kakrail and writer Mushtaq Ahmed from the house in Lalmatia. They were then handed over to the Ramna police station. A case was brought against 11 individuals, including two of them, under the Digital Security Act at the Ramna Police Station for posting anti-government posts on Facebook.
Police said the teenage cartoonist used to post several critical cartoon posters on his ‘I am a teenager’ Facebook account about the government’s role in the coronavirus situation in the country. And Mushtaq shared some of the teenager’s posts on his Facebook account.
Mushtaq Ahmed died Thursday night (February 25). He was housed in the Kashimpur jail in Gazipur.
Prison authorities said Mushtaq Ahmed suddenly fell ill inside the jail on Thursday night. First they took him to the jail hospital. He was later sent to Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical University Hospital. The doctor on duty there declared him dead after being examined.
MSH
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