মোঃ আজহারুল ইসলাম
সহকারী অধ্যাপক
২৪ আগস্ট, ২০২৩ ১১:১৮ অপরাহ্ণ
Woman arrested after son's Facebook post must be immediately released: Amnesty
Woman
arrested after son's Facebook post must be immediately released: Amnesty
Amnesty International has strongly condemned the arrest of a
mother over her son's Facebook post criticizing the trial and conviction of an
opposition politician by International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
It has also demanded immediate release of the mother.
Amnesty International issued a statement on its website on
Wednesday (August 23).
Responding to the arrest of Anisha Siddika, a 58-year-old woman in Bangladesh
who was apparently detained over her son's Facebook post criticizing the trial
and conviction of an opposition politician by Bangladesh's controversial ICT,
Nadia Rahman, Interim Deputy Regional Director of Research for South Asia at
Amnesty International said:
"The Bangladeshi authorities are showing an
alarming trend of intolerance towards those expressing opposing views, both in
online and offline spaces. Arresting a mother immediately after her son's
social media post criticizing the government is ludicrous and a new low in
Bangladesh, where endless reports of arbitrary detention of opposition
politicians and activists in the lead up to next year's general election has
created a climate of fear and distrust.
"Bangladeshi authorities must release
Anisha Siddika immediately or promptly charge her with a recognizable offence,
in accordance with international standards. They must also urgently stop their
practice of arbitrarily detaining people solely for their dissenting views. It
is not a crime to hold and express different political opinions."
"Instead of targeting critical voices, the
authorities must ensure that people are able to exercise their human rights
prior to, during and after the election, including the rights to freedom of
expression, association and peaceful assembly, without fear of reprisal or
discrimination."
BACKGROUND
According to the first information report (FIR)
of the case, Anisha Siddika was arrested on 20 August under Section 15(3)
('sabotage') and Section 25(D)('penalty for attempt') the draconian Special
Powers Act 1974. The FIR states that the investigation found that Anisha has
"colluded" with the other defendants to carry out "various
harmful acts with the intention of causing deliberate sabotage against the
government" to protest the arrests of leaders of Jamaat, an opposition
political party in Bangladesh. On 23 August, a metropolitan magistrate court in
Khulna City denied her bail.