Under the undemocratic and autocratic Sheik Hasina government, Bangladeshis are angry over the death of a dissident writer in prison

There is widespread outrage in Bangladesh over the death in prison of a dissident writer arrested last year under the Digital Security Act (DSA), which critics say curbs freedom of speech.

Mushtaq Ahmed, 53, died on Thursday in the high-security Kashimpur prison in Gazipur district, 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the capital Dhaka.

Ahmed was arrested under the DSA on May 6 last year for making comments on social media criticizing the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Police have accused Ahmed of spreading rumors on social media, tarnishing the image of the country’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and “hurting the spirit of the 1971 liberation war”. He was denied bail six times.

The DSA, passed in 2018, includes a jail term of up to 14 years for preaching or campaigning against the country’s independence war, its founding father, national anthem or flag.

It also states that a person can be jailed for up to 10 years for disturbing communal harmony or creating disturbance or disorder.

Ahmed’s death sparked protests near Dhaka University on Friday, with protesters chanting “We want justice!” shouted. And demanded cancellation of DSA.

Ahmed’s father, Abdur Razzaq, told Al Jazeera: “They did a great injustice to my son.” “I am not in a position to say anything more. My only son is dead.”

Ahmed, who wrote as Michael Crocodile Tagore, was also famous as a crocodile farmer. His book, Crocodile Farmer’s Diary, won him wide acclaim

Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said Ahmed died in custody “after nine months of pre-trial detention” for the ‘crime’ of posting criticism of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Facebook.

He said, “Mushtaq should not have been detained in the first place. “Government must be held accountable as to why a satirical post about the ruling Awami League on Facebook can be tantamount to a death sentence.”

Shakib Sarkar, a Dhaka-based journalist, said, “Being in filthy, dirty conditions and away from family is a form of torture.”

“In Ahmed’s case, it became very clear after his death. His wife had a mental breakdown. This is torture,” he told Al Jazeera.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has demanded the government revoke the DSA and release Ahmed’s co-accused, political cartoonist Kabir Kishore, who was also arrested last year.

“The death of Mushtaq Ahmed in a Bangladeshi prison, where he should not have been held in the first place, is a devastating and unimaginable loss,” said Alia Iftikhar, senior Asia researcher at CPJ.

“The government of Bangladesh must allow an independent investigation into how Mushtaq Ahmed died and take immediate action to repeal the Digital Security Act, which it has repeatedly and unfairly used against journalists.”

Rights group Amnesty International said Ahmed’s death in prison was a “repercussion of the authorities’ brutal detention practices”.

“We are witnessing the worst repression a law like the Digital Security Act can bring on an individual. “No one should have to die for exercising their right to freedom of expression,” said Saad Hammadi, Amnesty’s South Asia campaigner.

Bdrealissues.blog and I Sanjib Paul would like to personally thank Aljazeera for bringing this news to the attention of the world. We really do not when we will ger our freedom from this rubbish autocratic government. Please stay tuned to bdrealissues.blog and support us.

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