Washington Post publishes full-page ad on Kishore demanding his acquittal of charges
The ad was titled "Criticism, commentary and cartoons are not a crime"
Renowned American daily The Washington Post on Friday published a full-page advertisement calling on Bangladesh authorities to drop charges against freelance cartoonist Ahmed Kishore Kabir.
The advertisement featuring an image of Kishore reads "Criticism, commentary and cartoons are not a crime."
It described that freelance cartoonist Kabir Kishore has been accused of violating Bangladesh's Digital Security Act and publishing "false offensive information."
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Bangladeshi authorities should drop the charges and repeal the Digital Security Act now, the advertisement reads.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent, nonprofit organisation that promotes press freedom worldwide sponsored the advertisement.
Cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore was jailed in May last year in a case filed under the Digital Security Act.
He secured bail days after co-accused writer Mushtaq Ahmed's death in custody on 25 February this year sparked countrywide protests against the DSA, under which they were detained for ten months.
On 5 May 2020, the Rapid Action Battalion filed the case against 11 people on charges of spreading falsehoods from a Facebook page, tarnishing the image of Bangladesh and creating confusion.
