Stop promoting self-censorship for expressing opinion:?HRW
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Bangladesh to stop promoting self-censorship for expressing opinion.
Bangladesh authorities should unequivocally declare their commitment to free speech, instead of proposing self-censorship, said the HRW in a statement on Tuesday.
The killing of secular blogger, Niladri Chakrabarti, on August 7 is a harrowing reminder of the need for the Bangladesh government to take immediate steps to ensure security for all and end attempts of muzzling independent voices, it said.
The statement mentioned Chakrabarti, who used the pen name of Niloy Neel, is the fourth blogger to be murdered in Bangladesh this year for advocating secularism. All four were listed by extremist groups among 84 bloggers they described as anti-Islamic and blasphemous.
The HRW said instead of addressing police failure to respond to threats against Niloy Neel or to arrest those responsible for the earlier murders, Inspector General of Police, AKM Shahidul Hoque, warned that hurting religious sentiments is a crime according to our law. While assuring a speedy investigation, Hoque advised: Those who are free-thinkers and writers, I will request them, please make sure that we dont cross the line. Anything that may hurt anyones religious sentiments or beliefs should not be written.
Its shocking that Bangladesh authorities not only failed to protect the bloggers despite complaints to the police about threats against them, instead they are proposing self-censorship, said Brad Adams, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch. The government should recall that its duty is to uphold the Constitution and protect peoples lives, as well as their religious freedom.
The statement said although Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said there will be a speedy investigation into the bloggers murders, earlier she had hinted at action against bloggers for hurting peoples religious sentiments.
