SHAHIMA AKTER TOPU

Cyber law of Bangladesh curbs freedom of expression

CURRENT ISSUES

• Govt. ban facebook, whatsapp, messenger, viber etc. for ‘security reasons’. • Govt. asked facebook to

provide information to monitor possible terrorist activities but FB refused.• Alternative was to access

the blocked site and apps• Users of tor increased

from 2000 to 12000 in a day

CYBER LAW OF BANGLADESH• Governed by Information & Communication

and Technology Act 2006 (ICT) amended in 2013

• Key themes-hacking, harassing and offences relating to publications

• Bangladesh telecommunication regulatory communication (BTRC) responsible for telecommunications (wire, cellular and cable)

• BTRC created cybercrime prevention agency-Bangladesh Computer Security Incident Response Team (BD-CSIRT)

• . Section 54 to 67 of the ICT Act 2006 illustrate the cybercrimes both civil and criminal matters.

I S S U E S

• S . 5 4 , 5 6 , 5 7 A N D 6 1 M A D E N O N B A I L A B L E , C O G N I Z A B L E , A N D F I N E O F $ 1 3 0 , 0 0 0 U N D E R A M E N D M E N T

• A M E N D M E N T C R I T I C I S E D BY I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O M M I SS I O N O F J U R I S T S ( I N T E R N AT I O N A L H U M A N R I G H T S N G O ) ,

• C O N S I D E R E D A V I O L AT I O N O F I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O V E N A N T O N C I V I L A N D P O L I T I C A L R I G H T S ( I C C P R )

• J A I L T E R M I N C R E A S E D F R O M 1 0 T O 1 4 Y E A R S T H R O U G H T H E A M E N D M E N T

• S . 4 6 G I V E S G O V T H U G E P O W E R T O A G O V T-A P P O I N T E D C O N T R O L L E R T O B LO C K O N L I N E C O N T E N T

• 5 7 I C T A C T 2 0 0 6 A M E N D E D I N 2 0 1 3

S.57 ICT ACT 2013

• Incompatible with freedom of expression and art 19 ICCPR-right to freedom of opinion and expression

• ICJ concerned because s.57 does not have a guidance on what constitutes prejudicing the state or obscene,

• 19(3) ICCPR restricts freedom of expression on grounds on defamation and national security and morals

• Arafat Hosen Khan and others v. Bangladesh and others-High court stiffened the provisions of s. 57

I N C O M P A T I B I L I T I E S W I T H A R T I C C P R• C A U S E S T O H U RT O R M AY H U RT R E L I G I O U S B E L I E F -

I N C O M PAT I B L E W I T H A RT I C L E 1 9 ( 3 ) O F I C C P R• P R E J U D I C E S T H E I M A G E O F T H E S TAT E ’ A R E A L S O

I N C O M PAT I B L E W I T H T H E R E Q U I R E M E N T S O F A RT I C L E 1 9 ( 3 ) O F T H E I C C P R

• O V E R B R O A D R E S T R I C T I O N S O N F R E E D O M O F E X P R E S S I O N D O N O T C O N F O R M W I T H T H E P R I N C I P L E O F P R O P O RT I O N A L I T Y

• S . 7 6 - O F F E N C E S N O N B A I L A B L E - C O N T RA RY T O L I B E RT Y A RT 9 I C C P R

• P U N I S H M E N T N O T P R O P O RT I O N AT E T O J O H A N N E S B U R G P R I N C I P L E S

• I N C O M PAT I B L E W I T H A RT 3 9 O F B A N G L A D E S H C O N S T I T U T I O N

• Teacher jailed for 3 years and fined 10,000 BDT for the comment “everybody dies but why Sheikh Hasina does not die?”-2011

• Another teacher jailed 7 years for comments againt pm “I shall behead you and hang your head on the gate of BUET…”

• Leader of NGO Ledars arrested for making derogatory comments about Muslim pilgrimage on facebook

CY B ER S E C U R I T Y AC T 2 0 1 5?

• F I N A L I S E D D R A F T P U B L I S H E D O N I C T M I N I S T RY• A S U P P L E M E N TA RY T O I C T A C T• T H E B I L L P R O P O S E S T H E E S TA B L I S H M E N T O F A C Y B E R -

S E C U R I T Y A G E N C Y T O D E F E N D T H E C O U N T RY ’ S S O V E R E I G N T Y, I T S I N T E G R I T Y, S E C U R I T Y, P U B L I C O R D E R A N D S E C U R I T Y A N D R E L AT I O N S W I T H O T H E R F R I E N D LY F O R E I G N C O U N T R I E S

• S O M E O F T H E O F F E N C E S I N C R E A S E D J A I L T E R M S T O 2 0 Y E A R S

• C O N D U C T S D E F I N E D T O B E T E R M E D A S C Y B E R -T E R R O R I S M• I F O R G A N I Z AT I O N F O U N D G U I LT Y, T H E C E O O R O T H E R

R E P R E S E N TAT I V E S W I L L B E P U N I S H E D• A G E N C I E S A L L O W E D T O R A I D A N Y S U S P E C T S ’ H O U S E

W I T H O U T W A R R A N T• .   R E G U L AT O RY A G E N C Y C O N T R O L L E R O F C E R T I F Y I N G

A U T H O R I T I E S ( C C A ) W I L L W O R K U N D E R T H E N E W L A W A L O N G W I T H T H E 2 0 0 6 A C T

D I S P U T E S O V E R T H E N E W D R A F T• U N N E C E SS A RY- A L R E A DY H AV E I C T T O TA C K L E

T H E E X I S T I N G I SS U E S A N D I N C R E A S I N G P U N I S H M E N T

• D R A F T E D O N LY T O C O N T R O L S O C I A L N E T W O R K S A N D T H E B L O G G E R S

• D R A F T E D BY A N I N D I V I D U A L R AT H E R T H A N A G R O U P O F E X P E R T S - R A J S H A H I U N I V E R S I T Y A SS O C I AT E P R O F Z U L F I Q A R A H M E D O F T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F L A W

• T H E D R A F T H A S I N C L U D E S C L A U S E S T O T RY F O R E I G N E R S B E S I D E S I N D I V I D U A L S A N D O R G A N I S AT I O N S

• T H E P R O P O S E D C Y B E R S E C U R I T Y A C T I S PA R T O F A S Y S T E M I C A P P R O A C H BY T H E B A N G L A D E S H A U T H O R I T I E S T O S T I F L E F R E E E X P R E SS I O N A N D S E V E R E LY R E S T R I C T T H E W O R K O F C I V I L S O C I E T Y- O B S E R VAT O RY A N D O D H I K A R

1 ) “ THE IC T AC T COULD NOT TAKE ANY SORT OF PUNITIVE MEASURES AGAINST THOSE WHO KILLED B LOGGERS FOR VOI CING THEIR OPINION. B UT THE SAME ACT WAS USED TO ARR EST PEOPLE FOR UTTERING FOUL WORDS AGAINST THE PEOP LE IN P OWER”-COORDINATOR OF CHT C OMMI SSION

2 ) ONE WOULD BE AP PREHENSIVE WHETHER IT WOULD ‘TEND TO DEPRAVE’ OR ‘COR RUPT PEOPLE’ OR NOT, AS ENAC TED IN THE DRAFT ACT.

3 ) THE EUR OPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR THE CYBER-S ECURITY ACT OF 20 1 5 AND THE INFOR MATION AND COMMUNICATI ON TECHNOLOGY ACT ARE BROUGHT IN LINE WITH INTERNATIONAL FREE SPEECH STANDARDS, AND DROP THE CRIMINALISATION OF "ANTI -STATE" PUBLICATIONS

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Peace!

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