Kamal Ahmed criticises arrests of Latif Siddique and others, questions if 'old order' still in place
The senior journalist also questioned the legality of the police action, writing, “Does their meeting fall under the activities that are banned for the Awami League?
Senior journalist and chief of the Media Reform Commission Kamal Ahmed has expressed dismay over the arrests of organisers and participants of a Mancha 71 discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity, questioning whether practices of the former autocratic regime remain in effect under the interim government.
In a Facebook post last night (29 August), Kamal wrote that he was "stunned and bewildered" by the turn of events at the DRU, where attendees of a roundtable, including former minister Abdul Latif Siddique, were arrested.
He said he had "minimal expectations" from the interim government, believing it would not engage in or allow actions that could overshadow the "fascist acts" of the past 15 years.
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Referring to that period, he wrote, "It is difficult to keep count of how many events the Awami League and its associates disrupted. At that time, university vice-chancellors, senior intellectuals, political leaders, freedom fighters…and journalists were subjected to humiliation and abuse. The extreme misuse of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Digital Security Act is something the victims will never forget."
Kamal Ahmed strongly criticised the recent arrests, which include Dhaka University Professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karzon, arguing that those who justify the crackdown by citing the past actions of Latif Siddique or others are inadvertently turning them into victims.
"By bringing up Siddique's past crimes or alleged fascist sympathies of others, those defending the disruption of their event and their jailing under the Anti-Terrorism Act are unnecessarily placing them in the victim's seat," he wrote.
He further questioned why no legal action had been taken against the accused in the past year if the allegations were valid.
The senior journalist also questioned the legality of the police action, writing, "Does their meeting fall under the activities that are banned for the Awami League?
"If so, then perhaps calling in the police to halt the event would have been logical. Otherwise, as free citizens, everyone has the right to express their opinions for or against the government."
He argued that suppressing this freedom of expression not only sets a bad precedent but also pushes discussion of the "misdeeds of the last 15 years" into the background.
He drew a parallel between the recent arrests and past incidents where individuals were arrested from private meetings and charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act, such as with Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.
He questioned, "Then, have the old order been reinstated?"
Notably, on Thursday (28 August), a group of 16 people, including former textiles and jute minister Abdul Latif Siddique and Prof Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karzon, were arrested and subsequently sent to jail in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
They were accused of "conspiring to oust the interim government" during a roundtable titled "Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh," organised by Mancha 71.
