ARTICLE 19 South Asia, on Sunday announces the formation of the “Bangladesh Internet Freedom Initiative Working Group” to address the greatest threats to internet freedom in the country.
The group will work through strategic advocacy, campaign, legal analysis of existing national legal frameworks, and by providing recommendations for legal reform of government policies and practices aimed at fostering and advancing internet freedom in Bangladesh.
On the occasion of the Digital Bangladesh Day 2021, Faruq Faisel, the Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 South Asia said, “The overarching goal of the Working Group is to promote online freedom of expression and access to information in the country by creating awareness among the netizens. The working group will be supporting civil society organizations and cooperating with the government in formulating relevant policies. The group will also support legal and policy frameworks that promote digital rights and push back against emerging trends that threaten online freedoms.’’
The Working Group has been formed following several consultations with diverse representatives of civil society including university teachers, lawyers, journalists, technologists, cyber experts, digital rights activists, students, gender activists and youth organization leaders. The newly formed Bangladesh Working Group observes that over the past decade, Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress in the digital arena in terms of making a wider range of internet-based services available for its citizens that has subsequently made great impact in improving the quality of lives of many. At the same time, the country has consistently lagged behind in ensuring civil rights guaranteed by its Constitution, such as freedom of expression, access to information and protection of personal privacy in the digital space. The UN SDG, particularly, SDG-16 asserts: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”. The Bangladesh government is committed to achieve SDGs by 2030. However, the Working Group finds that existing laws and institutional frameworks have wide scope to limit civil rights and do not comply with the government’s commitment on SDG 16.
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It is evident that the existing mechanisms have been struggling to protect citizens' right to express their views online and to address the challenges produced by the digital revolution in Bangladesh. The Working Group recalls the commitment made by the current ruling party during national election in 2008 about transforming Bangladesh into ‘Digital Bangladesh' and now calls on the government to establish a comprehensive, transparent and accountable national system catering to the needs of citizens, framed along international laws and standards.
to ensure that the internet remains an open forum for citizens to express their opinions without fear of retribution.