A court in Bangladesh has granted bail to a FIFA official accused of making derogatory comments about the country's leader. Mahfuza Akhter Kiron had accused the Bangladeshi PM of favoring cricket over football.
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FIFA council member Mahfuza Akhter Kiron (pictured above) was granted bail until April 2 by a court in Bangladesh on Tuesday. Kiron was arrested on suspicion of defamation after saying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed was neglecting soccer in the cricket-mad country.
Mahfuza allegedly accused Hasina of having double standards for the country's football and cricket. "She [Hasina] rewards cricket for personal gain but ignores football," Mahfuza was reported to have said during a news conference last month.
Bangladesh's 'death squad' security agency to scan social media
The government is looking to task a controversial paramilitary force with monitoring social media as the country prepares to soon hold a general election. Many fear the move will further muzzle free speech in Bangladesh.
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Tarnished reputation
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was formed in 2004 to battle growing Islamism in Bangladesh. It initially managed to arrest or kill some top terrorists. But it did not take long for RAB's good reputation to be tarnished as it slowly became a symbol of fear. It's now seen as an all-powerful "death squad" unit that acts on the fringes of the law and imposes its own brand of justice.
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Facebook, YouTube under scrutiny
The South Asian nation's government has been planning to spend about 1.21 billion Bangladeshi taka (€12 million, $13.9 million) on the monitoring project, according to DW's local media partner bdnews24.com. The project will allow RAB to monitor activities like anti-state propaganda, rumors and provocations on Facebook, YouTube, Viber as well as other means of communication on the internet.
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Calls for international pressure
Tasneem Khalil, a Swedish-Bangladeshi journalist, reminds that RAB has already been used for detaining government critics for their comments on Facebook. "Now such cases will multiply," he said, adding: ''International actors, especially the EU, must take concrete action and sanction this force, which is a tool for curtailing freedoms and liberties of ordinary citizens in the country."
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New law to curtail press freedom
The Bangladeshi government has recently come up with a new law, the Digital Security Act, which contains provisions mandating long prison sentences of up to seven years or harsh fines for any statement posted online that might disrupt the law and order situation, hurt religious feelings or ruin communal harmony. Experts consider the law as part of a broader campaign to silence government critics.
Image: government's press department
Media protest
In a rare move, prominent newspaper editors of the Muslim-majority country on Monday formed a human chain in front of the national press club in the capital Dhaka demanding amendments to nine sections of the Digital Security Act. They say these sections pose a threat to independent journalism and the freedom of expression. But the government has yet to respond to those demands.
Image: bdnews24.com
Journalism can be viewed as 'espionage'
A journalist could be convicted of espionage for entering a government office and gathering information secretly using any electronic device, an offense that would carry a 14-year jail sentence, according to the new law. Mahfuz Anam, a prominent editor, said, "This law will not only deal with cybercrimes but also gag the independent media."
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Harsh treatment
Despite global condemnation, Bangladesh, which ranked 146th among 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index 2018, has kept prominent activist Shahidul Alam behind bars. He was arrested in August following his criticism of the government for using excessive force against peaceful student protesters. Activists view his arrest as a sign of the government's harsh treatment of its critics.
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It's not cricket
Mahfuza, 52, is receiving cancer treatment and was bailed on medical grounds, her lawyer said. He expected her to be released "in a day or two."
A FIFA spokesperson told news agency AFP in an email that world football's governing body had "requested further details about the situation of Ms Mahfuza Akhter and are currently awaiting information from the Bangladesh football federation."
FIFA said it was "monitoring with concern and working closely with" the Asian Football Confederation in the case.
Rights watchdog Amnesty International called recently called Mahfuza's arrest the latest attack on freedom of expression in Bangladesh.
"Championing football is not a crime. Mahfuza Akter Kiron was merely exercising her right to freedom of expression by stating that the prime minister favored cricket over football," Saad Hammadi, South Asia campaigner at Amnesty International, said in a statement.
Bangladesh ranked 146 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2018 World Press Freedom IndexImage: DW/M. Mamun
Muzzling free speech
The Bangladeshi government has long been accused of cracking down on voices deemed critical of the ruling party and authorities.
Late last year, the publisher of the English-language New Nation daily, Mainul Hosein, was arrested. Police said his detention was linked to a television talk show appearance where he called a journalist "characterless" for asking him if he represented the political opposition.
Derogatory comments
Abul Hasan Chowdhury Prince, who filed the case against Mahfuza, said her comments against Hasina were derogatory.
"I lodged the case as she made derogatory remarks against our sports-loving prime minister," he said.
Bangladesh is the world's third-largest Muslim-majority nation. The country's government, which won a third straight term in December, denies freedom of speech is under attack in the country of 165 million people.
