Journalistic acts won't be considered as spying

Two senior ministers yesterday said the Digital Security Act-2018 would not be applied to journalists if they wrote on corruption and illegal acts as it would not be considered as spying.

"There is no relation between journalism and spying. If journalists published reports on illegal acts that will not be treated as an offence of spying under the proposed law," Law Minister Anisul Huq told journalists at his Secretariat office.

If anybody committed spying through the computer and the information technology systems that would be treated as an offence under the proposed law, he said.

He added some people were harassed under Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act, but nothing like that would happen under the proposed law.

He said freedom of expression has not been assassinated and would not be damaged under the proposed act, which was approved by the cabinet on Monday with a provision of 14 years in prison for related offences.

Journalists and rights defenders fear the freedom of the press and expression was put to the sword due to the proposed digital security law. They say there will be every chance of the act being misused against the people's right to express themselves after its passage in the Jatiya Sangsad.

They also feel duped by the government as Section 57 of the ICT Act was kept in the proposed law with some changes despite assurances in the past of scrapping the controversial provision.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed also came up with a similar statement, mentioning vagueness in the ICT Act and removing the vagueness in the newly approved draft law.

"I don't think action will be taken under the proposed law against anyone for true reporting," he said while addressing journalists at the Secretariat yesterday.

On many journalists' belief that the proposed law will stand against the freedom of journalism, he said, "I do not think so. We cannot stop you. Enacting this law cannot stop you."

He said many things were being written even against elected representatives. Without naming the lawmaker, Tofail said there was a report on an MP's character. “Elected representatives are also respectable, but the way the report has been framed… we all made mistakes."

He added political opponents in the opposition or even within Awami League might give misleading information to demean the running MPs and get party nomination.

In reply to a question that corruption took place in many government and non-government offices and journalists need to do spying and take digital record for investigative reports, the minister said journalists should keep writing their own way but write the truth.

ASK CONCERNED

Rights body Ain o Salish Kendra yesterday expressed concern over the approval of the draft of Digital Security Act-2018 keeping provisions similar to section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, said a press release.

Section 57 of the ICT Act had no appropriate explanation about defamation, hurting religious sentiments and causing deterioration of law and order, creating scope for misuse of the act and harassment of people which is tantamount to obstructing freedom of expression, it said.

Although section 57 has been scrapped, the sections 25, 28, 29, and 31 of the proposed Digital Security Act contain elements similar to the section 57, it said.

Besides, section 32 of the act will shrink the scope for work of journalists and writers, the ASK added.

The rights organisation has also demanded steps from the government to bring necessary amendment to the act before passing it and urged the government to be more responsible to ensure people's rights to freedom of expression.