The Editors' Council expressed grave concern over the draft Digital Security Act in a meeting in the city on Thursday.
The meeting was chaired by Editors' Council President and Samakal Editor Golam Sarwar.
The Council said the Section 19 of the proposed Digital Security Act contains all the anti-free press elements of Section 57 of the existing Information and Communication Technology Act.
Although the law minister had said a few days ago that the Section 57 would be revoked, but Section 19 of the proposed Digital Security Act has the same repressive provisions of Section 57 in an even harsher form.
"We are also concerned that the section 15 (5) of the draft would be a major impediment for freedom of thought and freedom of expression as someone's narrative of the history of the Liberation War and relevant issues will be regarded as a 'digital criminal offense' if that goes against government's narrative," the council said in a statement adopted in the meeting.
"Therefore, we call upon the government to totally remove such restrictive provisions in order to create a scope for lively discussion on the country's rich history of struggle and Independence," it added.
"We express concern over the draft of the National Online Mass Media Policy. The provision of the ICT Act including Section 57 has been incorporated in this draft policy as it has been done in the Digital Security Act. We raise our concern over the draft, because the draft also has the provision to consider the so-called defamation of any individual or organisation as criminal offence."
The editors urge the government to repeal all provisions that come as impediments to the freedom of speech.
"We demand scrapping of the provision that considers the so-called defamation of any individual or organisation as a criminal offence. We urge that it be made mandatory to go to the Press Council first for remedy over such issues," the statement said.
"We want to clearly state that any kind of direct or indirect interference through the above-mentioned laws in the established newspaper and electronic media and their digital media operations like website, online and social media would not be acceptable.
"However, we call on the unregulated online and social media to be respectful to the existing media ethics and norms," it further said.
The editors strongly protested against and condemned all attacks on journalists. They demanded neutral investigation into such incidents and bringing of the people responsible to book.
The Editors' Council also demanded withdrawal of all false cases filed across the country by the government officials and members of the ruling party against editors and journalists.
"At the same time, we are demanding withdrawal of all cases filed under Section 57 against editors and journalists and release of the detained journalists".
"In the end, we strongly demand that the government repeal Section 57 of the ICT Act fully and refrain from taking any initiative to re-introduce similar provisions in any new law as they go against the Constitution and serve as a threat to the freedom of speech and journalism which is guaranteed by the Constitution," said the statement.
The meeting was also attended by Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman, acting editor of the daily Ittefaq Tasmima Hossain, News Today editor Reazuddin Ahmed, Financial Express editor AHM Moazzem Hossain, Manabjamin editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, Bhorer Kagoj editor Shyamal Dutta, Kaler Kantho editor Emdadul Haq Milon, Bangladesh Protidin editor Nayeem Nizam, Sangbad editor Khondkar Muniruzzaman,  acting editor of Jugantor Saiful Alam, and Banik Barta editor Dewan Hanif Mahmud. [Read More]

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Source: The Financial Express