Bangladesh's freedom 'in crisis', Article-19 report warns

The Global Expression Report 2022, an annual look at the rights to freedom of expression and information across the world, has said that Bangladesh's freedoms have worsened in the last ten years and are now considered to be "in crisis".

The report, which tracks freedoms of expression across 161 countries via 25 indicators, warned that globally freedoms were "more precarious than ever, and scores are plummeting at higher rates than ever before."

According to the study, 19 countries saw shrinking freedoms from 2020 to 2021, compared to only one country between 2010 and 2011.

Bangladesh's score between 2020-21 changed by -4, meaning it was classified to "in crisis" from the earlier "highly restricted."

Countries are assigned points out of 100 with those getting between 0-19 categorised as "in crisis", said the report by Article-19, a western-led human rights organisation which works on freedom of expression and freedom of information worldwide.

The report pointed out how lawfare - the use of the law by a country against its enemies, especially by challenging the legality of military or foreign policy - had been heavily used to silence dissenting voices across the world.

In the context of Bangladesh, the report highlighted how reporter Rozina Islam was charged under the Official Secrets Act for mismanagement of the pandemic.

It also touched upon the use of brand new laws to limit freedoms.

"A raft of new and concerning legislation appeared in 2021, many of which limited freedoms on the grounds of national security and anti-terrorism. Some of these laws are written in such an open, vague manner that they are only one step up from arbitrary detention…," it said.

The report said the abusive use of the "notorious" Digital Security Act in Bangladesh had seen 443 people imprisoned, "mostly under the false information provision", which was a significant rise compared to 2020.

"In February 2021, the death of Bangladeshi writer Mushtaq Ahmed in prison during judicial custody sparked fresh protests against the act – Ahmed was arrested in May 2020 and charged with 'tarnishing the image of the nation' and 'creating hostility, hatred, and adversity' – all offences under the Digital Security Act. However, in early 2022, a minister publicly recognised that the provisions were being abused," it said.

The report also mentioned that Ahmed was reportedly tortured by the Rapid Action Battalion, which, between December 2021 and February 2022, raided the homes of at least 10 relatives of forcibly disappeared individuals.

Bangladesh's classification was shared by Afghanistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong and Sudan, among others.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and India's point tally also worsened, putting them in the 'highly-restricted' category.

There was some good news, however, as the report said 91% of the global population live in a country with a law or regulation on the right to information.

It also said that during 2021, there were 182 Internet shutdowns in 34 countries - now a favourite tool of the digital-era autocrat.

On curbing dissent, the report further said, "But no country has demonstrated discrimination more starkly in the context of protest than the USA. Not only do Black people face more state intervention and state (as well as non-state) violence while demanding basic safety and human rights, but the barriers for change are also higher, and the likelihood of backlash is higher."

It further warned that private actors, mostly privileged, anglophone, white men in North America, had been dictating the conditions of our basic human rights more than before.

It said private sector transparency also remains a huge issue across all sectors – from the algorithms that control what information we see online, to the secret ownership of enormous wealth used for tax evasion and money laundering.