Joint local statement on the Digital Security Act of the Heads of Mission of the EU Member States

The Heads of Mission of the EU Member States, the European Union Delegation and the Heads of Mission of Norway and Switzerland issue the following Statement in Bangladesh:

The Heads of Mission of the EU Member States, the European Union Delegation and the Heads of Mission of Norway and Switzerland issue the following Statement in Bangladesh:

On 19 September, the “Digital Security Act, 2018” was passed in Parliament.

We reiterate our concerns around several provisions of the Digital Security Act which unduly restrict the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media and undermine judicial procedural guarantees. In its current form the Act could be used to suppress and criminalise the legitimate exercise of these freedoms.

We call upon the Government of Bangladesh to continue consultations on this law and pursue the commitments taken during the Universal Periodic Review last May, so as to ensure that the Digital Security Act will be in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Constitution of Bangladesh.

Heads of Mission:

H.E. Mrs. Rensje Teerink, Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union

H.E. Mr. Mario Palma, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Italy

H.E. Mr. D. Álvaro de Salas Giménez de Azcárate, Ambassador, Embassy of Spain

H.E. Mrs. Charlotta Schlyter, Ambassador, Embassy of Sweden

H.E. Mrs. Marie-Annick Bourdin, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of France

H.E. Mr. Peter Fahrenholtz, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

H.E. Mr. Harry Verweij, Ambassador-designate, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

H.E. Mrs. Winnie Estrup Petersen, Ambassador-designate, Royal Danish Embassy

Mr. Kanbar Hossein-Bor, Acting High Commissioner, British High Commission

H.E. Mrs. Sidsel Bleken, Ambassador, Royal Norwegian Embassy

H.E. Mr. René Holenstein, Ambassador, Embassy of Switzerland

The statement was released on September 27, 2018.  The original statement could be found here-