Nothing in a principled defence of Sifat Abdullah requires sanitising his words. His Facebook video clip contains crude and degrading verbal abuse directed at Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his deceased parents, former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

About a month and a half has passed since the arrest and detention of leftist student leader Sheikh Tasnim Afroz Emi.

In August 2024, shortly after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime, BNP’s then Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman made a statement that earned him rare political capital, particularly in progressive and liberal circles.

We are outraged by the attack on freedom of expression through the misapplication of Cyber Security Ordinance, 2025.

The critical question of cyber safety is at the forefront.

Press freedom must be protected from the concerted disinformation patronised by some platforms and actors.

Beyond laws, society must cultivate both physical and digital spaces for inclusive, civil discourse among its citizens.

Bangladesh must repeal the CSA to safeguard the rights of its citizens.

The Cyber Security Act came into effect last year, replacing the controversial Digital Security Act

Awami League has always found justification in the Nietzschean theory of cultivating or “inventing” enemies

Crimes against journalists do not happen in a vacuum.

The case against him and WikiLeaks is much more important for what it might entail for press freedom itself.

Is that how democracy works for us?

Who would want to move for democracy and risk losing it all?

A closer examination reveals the existence of substantial limitations to freedom of expression in Bangladesh.

Comparing this law with those in other countries can help us determine how well the proposed CSA aligns with international standards.

It is rather dubious why the government wants to have another draconian cyber security law right before the next national elections.

More often than not, governments have issues with political humour because they don’t want to be called out for their incompetencies.

The curtailment of free speech and writing is especially distressing for the liberal classes in the US, given the values enshrined in the First Amendment with its guarantee of freedom of expression and the press.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recommended over 11 months ago that the government scraps two sections and amends eight others of the Digital Security Act but the government said it will not scrap them and is reviewing the sections.