e_Paper, Wednesday, May 3, 2017

News 3
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2017
Complaints at info commission on the rise
• Nawaz Farhin
Ever since the Right to Information
(RTI) Act was enacted, the Information
Commission has been seeing
a significant rise of complaints by
those who are not being responded
by the government organisations
when contacted for information
under the act.
It appears that the concerned
government agencies, departments
or offices are not helping
the complainants benefit from the
much-talked-about RTI Act.
Merely 104 complaints were
filed with the commission in 2010,
a year after the act was enacted,
while the figure jumped to 540 last
year.
In the first six-year span till 31
December 2016, the commission
recorded as many as 1,778 cases
with 1,085 of them dissolved over
the period.
104 out of 202 complaints were
settled in 2012, whereas 207 complaints
were lodged the next year,
of which 90 were resolved.
In 2014, the number of complaints
stood at 294 when 124 of
How free has press been in Bangladesh recently?
• Tarek Mahmud
For journalists in Bangladesh, the recent
years have been difficult and, in some
cases, life-threatening. However, 2016
was worse for the freedom of press in
the country than the previous years,
despite being less eventful in terms of
deaths or severe injuries.
According to the 2017 Press Freedom
Index, published by Paris-based
international organisation Reporters
without Borders, Bangladesh is ranked
at No 146 among 180 countries around
the world – two ranks down from 2016’s
No 144 and the same rank as 2015.
According to an Amnesty International
report published on April 28, in
late 2016 and early 2017, many bloggers
and freelance writers in Bangladesh
have received death threats several
times, but they are either reluctant
to approach police for protection or
say they have been refused assistance
when they have done so.
Below is a list of major incidents of
harassment, assault, police cases and a
murder of journalists around the country
last year:
• On May 1, 2017, online news portal
Natun Somoy Executive Editor
Ahmed Razu was arrested in a defamation
case filed by the Walton
Group. Razu is a formal employee
of Walton-owned newspaper Rising
BD. He is currently in jail.
• On April 8, 2017, Daily Observer
Sylhet Correspondent Sardar Abbas
and Dainik Sakaler Khobor Correspondent
Syed Nabiul Alam Dipu
them got disposed off. The complaints
kept continuing an upward
trend in 2015 with 336 allegations,
were assaulted by Bangladesh Chhatra
League members when they protested
sexual harassment.
• On March 13, 2017, police in plainclothes
picked up Daily Telegram
Editor Binoy Krishna Mallik from his
home in Jessore for holding a press
conference to allegedly expose police
corruption. Police initially denied
having arrested him, but later released
him in face of protest.
• On March 7, 2017, Rabiul Islam, reporter
of Barisal-based newspaper
Somoyer Barta, was arrested for reporting
the suicide of a sub-inspector’s
wife. The sub-inspector, Nurul
Amin, filed the case with a local
court. Rabiul is currently out on bail.
• On February 3, 2017, Shahbagh
police assaulted Daily Ittefaq photojournalist
Jibon Ahmed in front
of Amar Ekushey Book Fair’s Suharawardy
Udyan gate over parking dispute.
• On February 2, 2017, Daily Samakal
upazila correspondent Abdul Hakim
Shimul was fatally shot by Sirajganj’s
Shahjadpur municipality Mayor Halimul
Haque Miru during a clash between
two factions of local Awami
League unit. he died the next day.
• On January 26, 2017, ATN News
Reporter Kazi Ehsan Bin Didar and
Cameraperson Abdul Alim were assaulted
by Shahbagh police as they
recorded videos of police detaining
people from an Anti-Rampal procession.
The same day, police assaulted
Dhaka Tribune journalist Morshed
Jahan Mithun in Mirpur.
• On December 23, 2016, Ekushey
BIGSTOCK
resulting to the resolution to 67
complaints.
Meanwhile, out of 540, some
Television’s Savar Correspondent
Nazmul Huda was detained by police
for “fomenting unrest” during a
protest by RMG factory employees.
Nazmul, also local correspondent of
the Bangladesh Pratidin, was later
made accused in five other cases, including
one for stealing trousers. He
is currently out on bail.
• On December 7, 2016, four journalists
were physically assaulted by
members of Oikkoboddho Sonaton
Samaj Bangladesh when they
protested vandalism at Chittagong
Press Club. The same day, three
correspondents were assaulted by
Chhatra League members in Chittagong
University.
• On November 14, 2016, Daily Samakal
and Channel 24’s Habiganj Correspondent
Shoyeb Chowdhury was
arrested under the ICT Act. He was
released after 2.5 months in prison.
• On October, 12, 2016, a sports reporter
and a cameraperson of GTV
were assaulted in Chittagong by a
group of youths led by the son of a
high police official.
• Istishon blog founder and prominent
writer Nur Nobi Dulal left the country
with his family for Europe in 2016
after receiving several death threats
from militants. Shortly after he left,
the government blocked Istishon
blog in Bangladesh on September
26.
• On September 1, 2016, Online education
portal Dainikshiksha.com
Editor Siddiqur Rahman was arrested
under Section 57 of the ICT Act
for publishing a news on corruption
involving Prof Fahima Khatun, former
director general of higher and
secondary education. He is currently
out on bail.
• On August 8, 2016, RAB arrested online
news portal Banglamail24.com
acting editor Shahadat Ullah Khan,
Executive Editor Maksudul Haider
Chowdhury and Assistant Editor
Pantho Polash on charge of running
a false report on Sajeeb Wazed Joy,
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ICT
adviser and son. They are currently
out on bail.
• On July 21, 2016, Prothom Alo photojournalist
Anis Mahmud and four
others were assaulted by jail guards
at Sylhet Central Jail while on duty.
• On June 25, 2016, a reporter was harassed
by Chhatra League members
on Chittagong University campus.
• On April 10, 2016, a group of local
goons attacked two journalists of
Deepto TV in Chittagong’s Bahaddarhat
area.
• On February 2, 2016, a photojournalist
of the Daily Prothom Alo was
beaten by Chhatra League men in
Chittagong while on duty.
• Journalists Shafik Rehman, Shaukat
Mahmood and Mahmudur Rahman
were arrested between 2015 and
2016. Several charges were brought
against them. The trio claimed that
they were arrested because they
were involved with the BNP. All
three are currently out on bail. •
Our correspondents in Chittagong,
Sylhet, Barisal, Rajshahi and Khulna
have contributed to this story.
DT
120 complaints were settled
thought 2016.
The figures clearly depict that
the number of complaints kept
soaring in course of time.
Chief Information Commissioner
Professor Dr MD Golam Rahman
termed the increase of the complaints
a positive sign on growing
awareness amongst the people
about the act.
“Citizens now more aware about
their fundamental rights than ever
before. They are also concerned
well about their right to information,
which is an inseparable part
of their rights,” he observed.
Mohammad Masum Miya, a
journalist based in Dhaka, said:
“This year I needed to have some
information relating to the banking
sector. Accordingly, I contacted to
the commission seeking its help in
this regard and succeeded 22 days
after my appeal.”
There has also been criticism
over the commission’s role in supporting
the complaints at their very
first attempt to resolve their issues.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief
executive of Bangladesh Environmentalist
Lawyers Association
(Bela) said she has been seeking
information from different government
offices, but in vain in most of
the cases.
“Since 2009 when the act was
passed, I approached to many government
offices for information,
causing me to remain unsuccessful
in most of the times,” she added.
Sharing her experience of being
deprived of the figure of fatalities
at ship-breaking yards by the respective
ministry, the environmentalist
alleged that the commission
too did not cooperate her in this
regard despite objecting.
The RTI Act passed in the House
on March 29, 2009 is considered a
milestone in the legal history of
Bangladesh. This is the first act
after independence of Bangladesh
that ensures people’s right to obtain
information from the government
officials and other organisations.
This act covers all bodies
owned, controlled or substantially
financed either directly or indirectly
by the government and NGOs
and the principal bodies substantially
funded by the government. •
‘Section 57 will
be dropped
from ICT act’
• Tribune Desk
Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary
Affairs Anisul Huq said
the Section 57 of the ICT act will be
scrapped.
The law minister said at an
award ceremony yesterday that a
new digital security law was in the
works.
He said: “The new Digital Security
Act will clarify what section 57
is supposed to represent. It will for
once and for all prove that our government
has no intentions to clamp
down on freedom of speech.”
“The law ministry is working
on vetting the new Digital Security
Act draft. We will collaborate with
several state ministers to work on
a revised draft to introduce it as a
bill.”
The minister was speaking at
Bazlur Rahman Bhaiya Memorial
Award Ceremony on the 65th anniversary
of “Khelaghor” – a children’s
organisation – at Bangladesh
Shilpokola Academy.
Section 57 of the Information
and Communication Technology
Act stipulates that any post, image,
or video on an electronic format
that “causes to deteriorate law and
order, prejudice the image of the
state or person or hurt religious
beliefs” are non-bailable offences.
The punishment is minimum
seven years in prison to maximum
14 years. The fines can go up to Tk1
crore.•