By Jay Mahmud, Bangladesh
Image: Change.org
During the months of February, it has been brought to the attention by the public of the allegation behind the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed and the continued torture of his fellow cartoonist, Ahmed Kabir Kishore, who have been held in prison for simply expressing their freedom of expression against the government on social media. Specifically, they posted satirical cartoons and critical comments on Facebook on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ruling political leaders. Even before the Rapid Action Battalion officially recorded their arrest, Ahmed Kabir Kishore has reported to Amnesty International that he has been severely tortured from 2-5 May 2020. Since then, both individuals have been denied bail at least six times and on 25 February, Mushtaq Ahmed died and Ahmed Kabir Kishore was granted bail for only six months on 3 March 2021.
“Ahmed’s death has sent a chill through Bangladesh civil society and should force the government into ending this peremptory treatment of peaceful criticism,” commented Brad Adams, Asia director. “Posting satire about the ruling Awami League on Facebook should not amount to the equivalent of a death sentence.”
Amidst the whole situation, Kishore spoke of his tortures in the custody of state security agencies. After a proper investigation of the death of Ahmed Kabir Kishore initiated by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, officials found that Kishore was an insulin-dependent diabetic patient and he suffered high levels of blood sugar as well as bleeding through his right ear which left him deaf. This was not it. He also had critical pain in his leg which made it difficult to walk. Kishore is just one of nine others in the same case who could face up to 10 years in prison. No government law should be able to justify this treatment. The Digital Security Act, which is used to suppress dissenters against the government with provisions that are vague and prone to abuse, is the center of this problem.
Drawing cartoons and posting criticism online shouldn’t be treated as a crime and lead to death. Under the international human rights law including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Bangladesh is a state in, it states, “the value placed upon uninhibited expression is particularly high”. Therefore, the Bangladesh government must make sure that the Digital Security Act aligns with those values and if not to repeal it. Charges against Ahmed Kabir Kishore and the other individuals who have been trialed for simply expressing their freedom of expression should be dropped immediately and the investigation on the conspicuous death of Mushtaq Ahmed and the torture of Ahmed Kabir Kishore must be further continued.
Source
Comments