Bangladesh clears Digital Security Act draft removing controversial section 57

Section 57 criminalised ‘publishing fake, obscene or defaming information in electronic form’.

The approval for the ‘Digital Security Act 2018’ draft was granted at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.

The new law would render sections 54, 55, 56, 57 and 66 of the ICT Act defunct, Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam told the media at a briefing at the Secretariat afterwards.

The new Digital Security Act clarifies offenses and their respective sentences.

Both bail-able and non-bail-able offenses are included in the endorsed draft, the cabinet secretary said.

On Aug 22, 2016 a draft of the Digital Security Act received provisional approval from the cabinet.

The draft outlined a life sentence and a fine up to Tk 10 million for anyone involved in propaganda against the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The draft had also proposed a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison and fine up to Tk 10 million for a number of cybercrimes.

Cases filed under the ICT Act would still be tried under that law, the cabinet secretary had said at the time.