The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its latest statement has said free speech in Bangladesh is under attack which has never been before in the country.
The global rights body issued the statement on August 18, saying that free speech in Bangladesh is under attack as never before, held hostage between angry, machete-wielding radicals on one hand and a government, quick to take offence, on the other.
It said four bloggers have been murdered this year by religious extremists for promoting secularism, a principle which these groups consider to be anti-Islam.
Following the killing of blogger Niloy Neel earlier this month, Ansar Al Islam, an insurgent group linked to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility, saying they had the "permission of Allah" and warning of further attacks. While police were aware of threats to Niloy Neel and the other slain bloggers, they failed to properly protect them, it said.
The HRW statement said a reasonable government would have swiftly condemned these murders, and tried to hunt down the attackers. Instead, the police's first instinct was to urge self-censorship, with Bangladesh's inspector general of police, AKM Shahidul Hoque, warning that "hurting religious sentiments is a crime."
It took more than a week for police to arrest three suspects in Niloy Neel's murder, despite the alleged perpetrators' identities being known to the police.
"The police chief's comments were shocking, but not surprising, because Bangladeshi authorities are increasingly cracking down on freedom of expression," the statement said quoting HRW South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly.
The rights body said just this week journalist Probir Sikdar was arrested by the dreaded Detective Branch, a specialist police intelligence unit, for his Facebook posts against a cabinet minister and other politicians. The prosecutor said Sikdar had "cast aspersion on the minister using information technology".
The HRW further said just two weeks ago the police issued a statement criticising two prominent human rights groups for reporting on extrajudicial executions and other abuses by security forces, saying any activity that harms the police reputation amounts to defamation, and can be considered subversive.
"Bangladesh needs to change course, adopt international standards, and uphold constitutional freedoms, and do it fast," the South Asia Director of the HRW said adding that because as long as authorities continue to crush free speech, those who speak out risk losing their lives.
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