Govt likely to approve ordinance for repealing CSA tomorrow

The widely condemned Cyber Security Act is likely set to be repealed. 

The Advisory Council of the interim government is expected to approve an ordinance tomorrow (7 November) for cancelling the controversial law enacted by the ousted Awami League regime.

The ICT Division will present the draft "Cyber ​​Security Act (Repeal) Ordinance, 2024" for in-principal approval at the Advisory Council's meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, officials familiar with the matter told The Business Standard.

The matter has been included in the agenda of the meeting, officials said.

Earlier last week, Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Adviser Nahid Islam had announced that the CSA would be repealed within a week.

After a meeting of the Advisory Council, he also said, "All the cases filed under this law will be withdrawn." 

Not only the CSA, but all such laws that create barriers to the expression of opinion are being reviewed, the adviser added.

Tomorrow's Advisory Council meeting is also expected to give in-principal and final approval to the draft "Smoking and Tobacco Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024".

In the last two meetings, the draft of this ordinance was put on the agenda for approval, but it was not approved.

Human rights activists across the country and abroad have criticised the CSA as a tool for the AL regime to crack down on descent on online platforms and restrict freedom of expression.

As of 30 September, a total of 5,818 cases filed under the CSA and its predecessors -the Information and Communication Technology Act and the Digital Security Act - were pending in the country's eight cyber tribunals.

After the interim government took over, many accused in cases filed under the draconian laws were granted bail and efforts are being made to repeal such laws.

The fallen AL regime is accused of using the ICT Act, the DSA and the CSA to crack down on journalists, political opponents and other dissidents.

The CSA's original predecessor, the ICT Act was introduced in 2006 during the regime of the four-party alliance. 

During the Awami League-led government, the ICT ACT was amended and a more stringent version of it - the Digital Security Act, 2018 - was enacted.

Under Article 32 of the DSA, cases were filed against those with opposing views and news online under the non-bailable section.

The United States, the European Union, and other human rights organisations have called for repealing Article 32 of the DSA. 

In the face of pressure, the Awami League government repealed the law and enacted the Cyber ​​Security Act, 2023.