The government is moving to enact a law to protect itself rather than ensure cyber security, National Citizen Party (NCP) Member of Parliament and member secretary Akhtar Hossain said on Tuesday. 

He made the remarks at a citizens’ dialogue titled “Cyber Security or Silencing Voices? In Whose Interest Are New Limits on Freedom of Expression Being Set and the Law Amended?” in Dhaka.

Citing the arrest of Sathi Akter in Mymensingh, Akhtar questioned how criticising one’s own voting decision could be considered anti-government speech.

“According to media reports, Sathi Akter did not criticise the government. Rather, she criticised her own decision to vote for the BNP, saying it was the fault of the finger she used to cast her vote and her fate that led her to vote for the party. How can criticising one's own decision be considered anti-government speech? Yet, she was arrested,” he said.

He said such incidents indicated that people were being put at risk for expressing even personal opinions.

Akhtar also accused the government of removing institutional and legal constraints that could prevent it from becoming authoritarian. He alleged that it was seeking to bring various commissions, including the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, under its control.

Referring to the Inspector General of Police’s remarks on crossfire, he said they could be interpreted as reflecting the government’s position and demanded that the police chief be held accountable.

Presiding over the dialogue, photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam said the BNP had made numerous promises before coming to power but had changed its position quickly.

“The BNP that contested the election is not the same BNP we see today,” he said, adding that the people were the rightful owners of the country and the government must listen to their demands.

Kamal Ahmed, former chief of the Media Reform Commission and consulting editor of The Daily Star, said the law must clearly distinguish criminal acts from freedom of expression.

“These two have been conflated. If amendments are made through such patchwork, the scope for abuse of power will widen further,” he said.

He said previous governments had also pledged not to misuse laws, but their actions had contradicted those assurances. Safeguards against abuse must therefore be incorporated into the law itself.

Kamal opposed separate exemptions for journalists, arguing that journalism and the freedom of expression of ordinary citizens should be judged by the same standards.

Shafiqul Alam, former press secretary to the chief adviser of the interim government and editor of Daily Waadaa, said existing defamation laws had failed to effectively address the deliberate spread of false information through news media and social media over the past 54 years.

He said he did not want anyone imprisoned for defamation but called for effective civil remedies and financial penalties to deter repeated attempts to damage others’ reputations.

While stressing the need to protect freedom of expression, Shafiqul said the Cyber Security Act must not be used to curtail civil liberties. At the same time, he called for accountability for those who deliberately spread misinformation online to target individuals and institutions.

“False information can even put people's lives at risk. Therefore, we must protect citizens' rights while ensuring effective accountability for those who spread misinformation and engage in information terrorism through digital platforms,” he said.

Fahim Mashroor, co-coordinator of Voice for Reform, outlined key aspects of the proposed amendments. He said the primary purpose of the Cyber Security Act was to protect citizens and businesses from crimes such as hacking, phishing and financial fraud.

However, he alleged that the government was seeking to use the law, as the previous Digital Security Act had been used, to criminalise people for expressing dissenting views.

He proposed transferring provisions on protecting women and children from cybercrimes to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, where such offences could be addressed as digital crimes.

Monir Haider, former special assistant to the chief adviser of the interim government, said no law could prevent a government from becoming fascist if it was determined to do so.

Expressing concern about the current government’s direction, he said it was approaching the threshold of authoritarianism. While the Awami League government had taken years to restrict freedom of expression, he alleged, the current government was moving to silence public voices much more quickly.

Monir also said a referendum could help address several problems, including the risk of authoritarian rule, and expressed disappointment with both the ruling party and the opposition over their failure to act on the issue.

Dr Nabila Idris, a human rights activist and former member of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, presented cases involving the arrest of ordinary citizens under cyber laws.

She said 63% of arrests under the law since the February election had been made over criticism of the prime minister, ministers or national political leaders. According to her, the arrests could not be justified under the existing law, and the government was planning amendments that would create grounds for arrests under a new legal framework.

Dr Tajnuva Jabeen, organiser of Alternative, and Sarwar Tushar, joint convener of the NCP, also attended the dialogue.

Voice for Reform, Citizen Coalition, HRSS, JRA, DSA Victims Alliance and Bangladesh America Alliance jointly organised the event.