Experts at a discussion on Monday expressed concern over the continued misuse of various laws, including cyber-related acts, to harass ordinary people and journalists.
Although some draconian laws have been repealed, they noted that persecutors are now finding ways beyond cyber-related acts to criminalise both groups.
They were speaking at the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2025, organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) at a hotel in Dhaka.
Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman said the state has many legal tools — “as many as stars in the sky” — to repress journalists, including punishments under sedition charges, even when there is no real justification.
He warned that this practice will continue unless the government changes its overall “governing mentality”, adding that merely replacing the Digital Security Act will not solve the problem.
“Using black laws to harass and arrest people and journalists at will is not new. Court decisions sometimes make matters worse,” he said, referring to the case of a 17-year-old Santal girl in Dinajpur who spent over two years in jail for a Facebook post before being released on bail.
Noting that some online platforms spread misinformation, Asaduzzaman urged journalists to help create a mechanism that protects both press freedom and citizens.
Speaking at the event, senior Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Sara Hossain expressed concerns over police harassment, demanded accountability for the misuse of laws, and called for judicial independence. She stressed the need for deeper analysis of the role of the courts in dealing with cases under the now-defunct DSA.
She pointed out that journalists are now being arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act, demonstrating that the problem goes beyond the Digital Security Act 2018 or the Cyber Security Act 2023, and continues to hamper broader freedom of expression.
Citing the arrest of Baul Abul Sarkar in Manikganj on a blasphemy charge, Hossain criticised the misuse of old laws, mob pressure influencing case proceedings, and the inactivity of the Bangladesh Press Council.
“Cases against journalists were meant to silence speech, not deliver justice,” she said.
Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Dhaka, Sazzad Siddiqui, said every law is supposed to protect people and ensure their safety under the state — the very concept of the state is built on this principle.
“But in practice, it is often the opposite. Whoever is in power can target their opponents or silence dissent by using provisions of any legal document,” he said, adding: “When the state becomes repressive in this way, accountability is routinely bypassed, and enforcement often turns violent.”
A report titled Press Freedom in Bangladesh: Lessons from the Digital Security Act was launched at the discussion. It revealed that the widely criticised Digital Security Act 2018 was primarily used as a tool to intimidate and harass journalists.
The TrialWatch programme of the Clooney Foundation and the Centre for Governance Studies jointly published the report, which stated that the DSA weakened press freedom by constraining space for independent reporting in Bangladesh.
According to the report’s findings, the DSA was used to suppress online reporting and criticism, shrinking the space for investigative journalism.
Analysing 222 cases, it found that journalists were criminalised in 451 different incidents, in which 396 journalists were implicated. Most of the cases were filed by politicians of the deposed Awami League government and by government officials seeking to stifle dissent.
Maneka Khanna, Senior Legal Programme Manager at the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s TrialWatch initiative, was among those present at the event.
