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Revised cyber law to be approved next week

Dhaka, 02 May 2025 : The new Cyber ​​Security Act may be approved at the Advisory Council meeting next week, said Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, Deputy Press Secretary of the Chief Adviser.

He said this at a discussion meeting held at the ‘July Revolution Memorial Hall’ of the Chattogram Press Club on Friday morning. He presented a concept paper at a meeting titled ‘Bangladesh after the July Revolution: Challenges of the Media’ organised by the Chattogram Press Club and the Chattogram Metropolitan Journalists Union.

The Deputy Press Secretary said that the Digital Security Act, which has acted as a major obstacle to journalism in recent years, has been republished as the ‘Cyber ​​Security Act’ without any fundamental changes after being criticised nationally and internationally. The interim government has taken a policy decision to repeal this law. All cases filed against journalists under this law have been dismissed and no new cases have been filed.

He said, “We hope that the new Cyber ​​Security Act will be approved in the Advisory Council meeting next week. The proposed law calls for the removal of nine restrictive sections of the previous law, under which 95 percent of the cases were filed. If these sections are repealed, those cases will also be automatically dismissed.”

Stating that the proposed law abolishes the provision of arrest without a warrant for crimes other than serious cyber hacking, Abul Kalam Azad said, “The interim government believes that this law will greatly reduce harassment of journalists. This will be a major step forward in creating an environment for free journalism in the country.”

He also said that in the last eight months, many journalists have been charged in murder cases in different parts of the country for their roles in July-August. But none of these cases has been filed by any government agency. Rather, clear instructions have been given to the police – not to arrest or harass any journalist unless specific allegations are found during the investigation.

The Deputy Press Secretary said that after taking office, the interim government decided to cancel the accreditation cards of 168 journalists. Although this is a regular process, a total of 7,866 cards have been issued under the accreditation system introduced for journalists, of which 4,935 have been cancelled for various reasons. Still, the government has decided to review the matter after criticism over this decision.

He said that those whose cards were cancelled have been allowed to appeal. But only 7 journalists have appealed. After the fire at the secretariat, special passes have been issued for journalists as entry was restricted to general accreditation cards due to security reasons.

He added that special passes have been issued to about 570 journalists so far. In the past, many party workers were also given cards as journalists, which made it difficult for professional journalists to work in the secretariat. To end this situation, the government has decided to revamp the accreditation card system.

Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said, in a recent incident, three journalists from three television stations were fired and one channel stopped broadcasting for a short time. Although no organisation has officially given the reason, many are blaming the government on social media, which is unwarranted. The government has not given any instructions in this regard and the channels have taken their decisions independently.

He said, “The people’s right to information is important to prevent corruption, injustice and misrule. The interim government has been aware of this from the beginning. However, the media must also be responsible.”

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