Desk Report,
Internet civil rights, online gambling banned
The interim government is going to replace the controversial Cyber Security Act with a law called the ‘Cyber Security Ordinance’. After many days of discussions and changes to the draft, the advisory council of the interim government approved the draft of the ‘Cyber Security Ordinance’ on Tuesday. It has deleted 9 sections of the Cyber Security Act. Religiously provocative speech or content that can incite violence has been made a punishable offense in the proposed law.
Internet civil rights, online gambling banned
The proposed ordinance has recognized the Internet as a civil right for the first time. In addition, online gambling has been banned.
The draft of the ‘Cyber Security Ordinance’ was approved at a meeting of the advisory council held at the office of the Chief Advisor on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus. Later, the decision to hold the meeting was announced at a press conference held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital by Asif Nazrul, Advisor to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Advisor to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, and Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor. Regarding the draft of the ‘Cyber Security Ordinance’, Law Advisor Professor Asif Nazrul said that the proposed ordinance recognizes the oppression of women and children and sexual harassment in the cyber world as punishable crimes.
The Law Advisor said that nine sections of the controversial Cyber Security Act have been deleted in the proposed ordinance. He said that these nine sections were notorious sections. 95 percent of the cases of the Cyber Security Act were filed under these sections. These cases will now be automatically dismissed. Apart from this, the cases that were filed under various sections earlier will also be dismissed.
Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul highlighted some of the provisions of the Cyber Security Act that have been abolished in the proposed ordinance. Among them, the provisions related to the punishment of hatred, confusion and slanderous propaganda about the Liberation War, the spirit of the Liberation War, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the national anthem or the national flag have been abolished. In addition, the provisions related to the publication, dissemination of defamatory information, etc. have been completely repealed. The Legal Advisor said that many journalists have also been victims of this section. In addition, the crime and punishment of causing deterioration of law and order, etc. and the provisions of offensive, false or intimidating, sending and publishing information, etc. have also been abolished, he said.
