Govt seeking Cyber Security Act amendment to suppress dissent: Porwar
The government is moving to amend the law to suppress the opposition and the media so that its corruption and politicisation cannot be exposed, he says.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar today (21 September) alleged that the government is seeking to amend the Cyber Security Act with an "ulterior motive" to suppress opposition views and prevent alleged government corruption and politicisation from being exposed.
"The government is moving to amend the law to suppress the opposition and the media so that its corruption and politicisation cannot be exposed," he said.
The Jamaat leader was speaking at a seminar titled "Cyber Security Act 2026: Security, Control or Suppression of Freedom of Expression?" arranged by Jamaat's Information and Broadcasting Department at the Jatiya Press Club.
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He claimed that political leaders and journalists will be particularly vulnerable to harassment under the proposed amendments and urged the government to abandon the move.
Porwar urged the government to keep the Cyber Security Act, 2026 unchanged and scrap the proposed amendment draft, questioning why the law needs to be changed only four to five months after its enactment. "The government is showing instability and indecision," he said.
He alleged that the BNP is using its parliamentary majority to pass laws "contrary to the Quran and Sunnah", while disregarding the referendum verdict.
The Jamaat secretary general said the government repealed ordinances concerning the prevention of enforced disappearances, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Supreme Court Secretariat. "The government is turning fascist by virtue of its majority."
Writer and journalist Abul Asad chaired the seminar, where Associate Professor Rafiquzzaman Ruman of Manarat International University presented the keynote paper.
Abul Asad said the government has failed to honour the referendum mandate by not implementing the July National Charter though it previously pledged to execute it fully.
"This implies that the government does not abide by the July Charter; indeed, it seeks to amend old draconian laws only to replace them with even more oppressive legislation," he added.
Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, Jamaat lawmakers Shafiqul Islam Masud and Nurul Islam Bulbul also spoke at the event.
