19 press freedom, human rights organisations urge for dismissal of DSA case against journalist Adhora

Nineteen press freedom and human rights organisation, including Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19 South Asia, Committee to Protect Journalists, have urged for urgent intervention to immediately end the harassment and intimidation of journalist Adhora Yeasmean, who faces an investigation under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for her 29 April video report for RTV on the alleged crimes of the religious organisation Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif.

The authorities should immediately drop their investigation into Yeasmean, reads a letter sent by the organisations to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday (30 August).

The letter reads, "We have also received disturbing reports that Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif members have conducted unlawful surveillance of Yeasmean since mid-July, continually following her and threatening to file additional complaints against her and her family members in retaliation for her reporting.

"The authorities must swiftly investigate these threats, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure her physical and psychological safety and security."

The organisations also called on the Government of Bangladesh to dismiss the DSA investigation into the journalist's interviewee and co-accused, Akramul Ahsan Kanchan, who has been targeted in this case for claiming in Yeasmean's report that Shakerul Kabir, one of Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif's leaders, took possession of the properties of locals based on false promises of financial gain.

Legal retaliation against a source in journalistic reporting is an act of intimidation that inhibits the functioning of a free press. Journalism is not a crime, and the media should be free and empowered to cover local and national developments in Bangladesh without fear of reprisal by subjects of reporting or the authorities. This is particularly relevant in the run-up to the January 2024 national election, reads the letter.

The organisations also wrote, "While we welcome the government's recent decision to repeal the DSA, the draft of the law's replacement, the Cyber Security Act, retains several repressive sections previously used to stifle independent journalism and human rights, including freedom of expression, privacy, and liberty in Bangladesh."

The letter to the prime minister was undersigned by - Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19 South Asia, Asian Human Rights Commission, Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media, Capital Punishment Justice Project, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ), Committee to Protect Journalists, Forum for Freedom of Expression, Bangladesh, Free Press Unlimited, IFEX, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Women's Media Foundation, PEN America, PEN Bangladesh, PEN International, Reporters Without Borders, and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.