Kamal Ahmed

OHCHR echoes our concerns about the DSA

A look at “OHCHR Technical Note to the Government of Bangladesh on review of the Digital Security Act,” will make one wonder how punishments for the same offence can vary so much depending on the law an accused is charged under.

1w ago

Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams Arrested

Victimising Shams shows why DSA should go

Yet another proof that the DSA has become a tool to suppress criticism and free thinking.

2w ago

Time to discard EVMs instead of repairing

Such an extraordinary emphasis on having elections in some constituencies make us wonder whether there’s more to this than meets the eye.

3w ago

Genuine elections vs participatory sham

The country needs a genuine election in its true sense, not a sham exercise under the pretence of maximum participation.

The ongoing economic peril and our plundered future

'Lunthito Bhabishyat: Bangladesher Arthanoitik Shonkoter Chalchitra' gives an overview of Bangladesh's current economic crisis.

No change in tune for the EC in its first year

Regaining public confidence and trust in the Election Commission, which have been systematically destroyed by two previous commissions, is undoubtedly a tough task. Unfortunately, it seems the current EC, too, is failing us miserably.

Paradoxes of terrorism in Bangladesh

'The Politics of Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Bangladesh' contains insightful and critical analyses.

BBC offices in India raided after BBC's Modi documentary

Why the raid at BBC offices in India should worry us all

The Income Tax (IT) department’s sudden raid at the BBC premises in India has drawn widespread condemnation.

Can Bangladesh get out of the Adani power deal?

Adani’s inclusion of costs that appear to be non-existent may allow Bangladesh to claim the deal invalid.

Calling the by-polls 'free and fair' dims hope for 2024

These by-elections are nothing more than a mere fulfilment of legal obligations, as it won’t be able to bring in any change in parliamentary balance.

Clarification, or admission of guilt?

The worst part in the academy's attempt to clear the air is the admission in its statement that it had not read the alleged offending book before deciding to exclude its publisher from the exhibition.

How can breaching citizens’ privacy be lawful?

We should be concerned about the deployment of surveillance tech without any judicial oversight

Hefazat’s politics and the government’s policies

As we approach another general election, the utmost thing of worry is that such appeasement will only intensify.

Will pre-election politics remain peaceful or become violent?

A consensus among political parties is essential for holding a good election.

An uncompassionate act on a compassionate ground

Why can't Bangladesh ditch the inhumane colonial practice of arbitrary fettering?

Best World Cup for FIFA, but not for migrant workers

There has been demands for FIFA to set up a compensation fund for migrant workers.

Unfair policing of opposition making ordinary citizens suffer too

There are too many questions about the policing of the BNP rally in Dhaka.

Democracy Day 2022: Three decades of backsliding from pledges for democracy

Thirty-two years have gone by since our national leaders made a pledge to make Bangladesh a democracy.

Why sleepwalk into more sanctions?

Government threat against critics living abroad is seriously misguided and likely to harm its image even more

Why provoke the opposition and punish citizens?

Contrast in administrative actions regarding political rallies could not be starker when it comes to BNP and other parties.

When will impunity for crimes against journalists end?

Violence against journalists have been on the rise in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

Is Britain about to reunite with its ex(PM)?

Despite the hype created by Boris Johnson's loyalists and the campaign team, others have raised a number of critical questions.

Ditching the growth plan may not save PM Truss

British tabloids are having a field day due to the UK's tumultuous politics.

The shocking contempt of the EC by civil servants

The rude disobedience shown by the field-level administrators – deputy commissioners (DCs) and superintendents of police (SPs) – to the current Election Commission (EC) has once again shown us what’s wrong at the core of our election management mechanism.

EVMs and a mind-reading election commissioner

Did you know that mind-reading was an essential trait for the job of an election commissioner? I did not.

What does AL gain from unleashing violence on BNP?

In the current environment, it is the ruling party that has been seen in the offensive.

Are you 'satisfied' with our diplomacy?

It is particularly disheartening and a cause for grave concern as the standard of our diplomacy has been questioned by domestic as well as foreign media.

Too many adversities await new UK PM

Given the enormity of the UK’s economic woes, the challenges she faces are multilayered and daunting.

Excessive force against protesters can’t be justified

Our police are supposed to be neutral and sincere in maintaining peace and order, but their actions and inactions these days could not be more partisan.

Why we need to rethink the Press Council

The Bangladesh Press Council is fully dependent on government funding. As a result, its independence to act as a self-regulatory body remains susceptible to government interference.

UN rights chief’s visit: Conflicting expectations and a hope for positive change

UN human rights chief's visit to Dhaka revealed contrasting expectations on the part of the government and rights groups.

Can Bangladesh follow India in redrawing its data protection law?

While the government in India has listened to opposition, in Bangladesh, the government has brushed aside the civil society’s concerns.

ICJ ruling takes Rohingyas one step closer to justice

The Gambia’s case against Myanmar for the genocide of Rohingyas is now all set to be heard and judged by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The forgotten mutiny for India’s independence

One of the most important but undervalued events of India’s independence movement was the naval revolt of 1946, about which Indian historian Sumit Sarker wrote,

Why should MPs have a role in school, college management?

The whole episode raises some serious questions regarding the roles of both the lawmaker and the college principals.

Every resident of Dhaka knows well how much stress one has to cope with just to survive every day. They don’t need reminding that their capital is the seventh least liveable city in the world, or they are the seventh saddest nation. Photo: Sk Enamul Haq

What makes Bangladesh 7th saddest nation in the world?

According to the Global Emotions Report 2022, Bangladesh is the seventh saddest nation in the world. And we became miserable well before the onset of high inflation and cost of living crisis.

How the politicisation of courts and judgements weakens democracy

Two verdicts in two different countries, located thousands of miles apart, by their respective supreme courts last week have stoked a serious debate about the role of judges and politicisation of the judiciary.

Mizanur’s ordeal was unacknowledged detention and torture

Well-known civic rights activist Mizanur Rahman’s narration of his harrowing experience of being picked up by police and tortured under custody, published in this newspaper’s online version on June 15, gives us some disturbing snapshots of the unlawful actions of our law enforcement agencies.

Stripping Odhikar of its rights?

When Bangladesh needs to show that it has been listening to the concerns about respecting human rights and upholding the rule of law, it has done quite the opposite.

Foreign minister’s response to US ambassador: A story for all the wrong reasons

The questions suggested by Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen for the US ambassador to Bangladesh were a repetition of unverified claims made by some politicians in their public speeches.

Twitterdom with a new king should worry us all

Elon Musk, a self-proclaimed free-speech absolutist and the world’s richest man, is the new king of Twitterdom.

Are the new online laws designed for the 2023 polls?

The recent publication of the drafts of two long-awaited legislations on regulating the usage of internet in Bangladesh have stoked some debate on their likely impact on both the citizens and businesses.

DSA took away Mushtaq

Writer Mushtaq Ahmed paid the ultimate price for his freedom of expression, and it’s a matter of shame for us all that it happened in the year of the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence.

Democracy’s digital challenge

At the beginning of the current millennium, the world celebrated the visible empowerment of citizens through digital technology due to emergence of social media platforms and search engines.

When politics is all about partying

The one issue dominating British politics for weeks is nothing other than the partying going on at the heart of the government, at 10 Downing Street, the office-cum-residence of the prime minister.

The CEC’s pre-poll slumber and the question of ballot stuffing

Can anyone remember such degradation of a constitutional body like what our Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda has done?

What can we expect from the Search Committee law?

The sudden approval of a draft Election Commission law by the cabinet certainly gives the government and the ruling party a powerful public relation tool, as they can claim they have done what no other party even attempted in the last 50 years.

Journalists should be worried about DSA exceptionalism

The extraordinary assurance that no journalist will be arrested immediately under the Digital Security Act (DSA) without a summon seems to be an attractive solution to the concerns and fears created by its random abuse to suppress critical voices in the media.

April 7, 2023