Cyber-crime legislation to stifle media freedom: CPJ

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Bangladesh’s legislature to scrap proposed cyber-security legislation that would impose severe penalties for disseminating online material deemed to be “anti-state or a threat to national security or public order”. “Proposed cyber-crime legislation, if passed, would have a stifling effect on media freedom in Bangladesh,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, reports UNB.
Crispin said the draft law’s language “dangerously conflates” cyber-crime with fair critical comment. “We strongly urge parliament to reject the bill and ensure that any future version includes clearly defined press freedom and freedom of expression guarantees.” The Digital Security Act 2016 was approved on August 22 by Bangladesh Cabinet and is pending in parliament, the CPJ said in a message from Bangkok quoting news reports.

Cyber-crime legislation to stifle media freedom: CPJ

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Bangladeshs legislature to scrap proposed cyber-security legislation that would impose severe penalties for disseminating online material deemed to be anti-state or a threat to national security or public order. Proposed cyber-crime legislation, if passed, would have a stifling effect on media freedom in Bangladesh, said Shawn Crispin, CPJs senior Southeast Asia representative, reports UNB. Crispin said the draft laws language dangerously conflates cyber-crime with fair critical comment. We strongly urge parliament to reject the bill and ensure that any future version includes clearly defined press freedom and freedom of expression guarantees. The Digital Security Act 2016 was approved on August 22 by Bangladesh Cabinet and is pending in parliament, the CPJ said in a message from Bangkok quoting news reports.