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Several international human rights groups have expressed concern that law enforcement officials are questioning and harassing activists and their families in various ways to suppress dissent in the country.
However, the government has said that there is no direct or indirect impediment to freedom of expression.
Recently, Pinaki Bhattacharya, a blogger and online activist based in France, was questioned by two police officers at her home in the Bogra district of Pinaki Bhattacharya.
Pinaki Bhattacharya has long been critical of the human rights situation in Bangladesh and of the government through her writings.
He believes the family has been questioned about his writings.
Pinaki Bhattacharya thinks that questioning law enforcement officers when they appear at their homes is a kind of indirect pressure to suppress dissent.
“If they know anything about me, they will contact me directly. Going to my house and questioning my family is kind of an indirect threat. I am very concerned.
In early July, the police issued an arrest warrant for blogger Asad Noor and searched his home in Barguna. There are also reports that six members of the family, including his father, were detained for two days.
In April, Tasnim Khalil, a Bangladeshi human rights activist and journalist living in Sweden, complained that she was intimidated by members of the intelligence service at her mother’s home in the Sylhet district of Bangladesh because of her writings.
Four international human rights organizations have called on the government to stop the ongoing harassment of human rights activists and their families in Bangladesh. They are Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Asian Human Rights Commission, and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.
These organizations have strongly condemned the use of force against those who freely express their opinions and have been forced to flee the threatened country.
International organizations have also expressed concern that the ruling Bangladeshi government is using the country’s digital security law as a tool to suppress dissent.
They say that under this law they are making arbitrary arrests, detaining them indefinitely and making people disappear.
In such a situation, law enforcement agencies must be held accountable and allegations of harassment must be investigated independently and impartially, said human rights activist Nur Khan Liton.
Otherwise, think, in a democratic country there will be an atmosphere of fear of free expression.
Nur Khan said: “The harassment has come to the attention of those who have logically criticized the various actions of the government, whether they are police or not. Many teachers, students, writers, journalists like photographer Shahidul Alam have been harassed. This is creating a terrifying atmosphere for expression. “
It demanded that reports of bullying and harassment be independently investigated and those responsible punished.
Otherwise, the law and order situation will collapse and democracy will die, he said.
However, Hasanul Haque Inu, chairman of the permanent parliamentary commission of the Ministry of Information, questioned the veracity of the allegations as none of the complainants had filed an official complaint. According to him, there is no direct or indirect obstacle to the free expression of opinion in the country.
“According to the constitution, all the media and those who write independently through social networks have the right to criticize. Therefore, if someone is harassed or intimidated, they should complain to the nearest police station, not to the Ministry of Information nor in the president of the parliamentary commission “, said. Action will be taken immediately. “
Last June, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said in a statement that the constitutional right to the free flow of information and free expression was threatened under the pretext of digital security.
The organization expressed its deep concern about the incidents of attacks, lawsuits, threats and intimidation throughout the country due to different points of view.
Source: BBC
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