The interim government has reached a policy decision to repeal the contentious Cyber Security Act (CSA), which was enacted during the Awami League's administration.
The decision was made during a meeting of the Advisory Council, chaired by Dr Muhammad Yunus, held on Thursday (7 November) at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka, said Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
It has been reported that once the Cyber Security Act is repealed, cases filed under charges of "confusion and defamatory propaganda" regarding the Liberation War and Bangabandhu, as well as accusations of hurting religious sentiments, will be automatically nullified.
In 2018, under the Awami League administration, the controversial Digital Security Act was passed.
Following severe criticism, the Digital Security Act was repealed in 2023 and replaced by the Cyber Security Act, which continued to attract widespread debate and objection, particularly from journalists and other sectors.
Previously, on 30 September, the Ministry of Law issued a notification stating that it had decided to withdraw cases related to "speech offences" under the Cyber Security Act.
It also noted that anyone detained under such cases would be granted immediate release through legal procedures.
As of August this year, there were 5,818 ongoing cases in the country's eight cyber tribunals under the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006, the Digital Security Act 2018, and the Cyber Security Act 2023.
Additionally, 1,340 cases concerning "speech offences" are currently active, with 279 under the ICT Act, 786 under the Digital Security Act, and 275 under the Cyber Security Act.
Among these cases, 461 are under investigation by various agencies, while 879 are awaiting trial in the eight cyber tribunals.
