Prime Minister Hasina and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Defamed: 47 Individuals face the prospect of significant time behind bars
A total of 47 individuals have been hit with a defamation lawsuit over allegations of “slandering the good name of Prime Minister Hasina, her father, also the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, her government, and party – Awami League, the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Justice system and the Bangladeshi laws. At the centre of it all happens to be an online news publication called ‘The Daily Nobojug’, which published the derogatory contents on its website, with the listed accused identified as contributors. The defendants allegedly expressed “offensive and inflammatory” opinions in incendiary terms within the aforementioned online news outlet. Our correspondent confirms that there were several ‘vile and provocative’ comments made Prime Minister Hasina and her father, in particular, the father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of course.
The names of some of those accused in this lawsuit are as follows – Esrat Rashid Editor, The Daily Nobojug), Johnny Joseph de Costa (Assistant Editor, Daily Nobojug), Nurul Huda (Senior Assistant Editor, Daily Nobojug), Nur Muhammad (Senior Advisor, Daily Nobojug), Ali Amin (Publisher, Daily Nobojug), Peerzada Tanvir Ahmed, Mohammad Shahidul Islam Jaigirdar, Md. Abdul Razzak, Md. Masum Sajjad, Ariful Haque Arif, Md Jakir Hossain, Md Razim Hossain, Shiplu Kumar Barmon, Mohammad Zillur Rahman, Mukit Chowdhury, Abu Sayed, Md. Al-Amin Kaisar, Md Maraz Miah (28), Md Shahidul Islam, Md Shaim, Shahriar Md. Nafis Khan, Ahsanul Kabir, Samiuzzaman Siddique , Md Sabbir Hossain, Md Zahirul Islam, Al Mahfuj, Md Obaidur Rahman Khan, Md Mijanur Rahaman, Md. Arath Hossain Rony, Umma Kulsum Nargis Banu, Nurul Farooq Shaker, Mohammed Nizamul Haque, Mohammad Fahidul Alam, Md Kanzid Hasan, Md Tofail Hossain amongst others.
A high profile criminal defamation lawsuit indeed, the merits of which are set to be contested in the Chief Judicial Magistrates’ Cognizance Court in Laxmipur. Senior Judicial Magistrate Md. Belayet Hossain sitting as a Cyber Tribunal judge took due cognizance of this complaint made by a Mr. Md. Ridoy Kazi filed on 23 September 2021 under the stringent Digital Security Act 2018 with Sections 21, 25, 29, 31, and 35 having been invoked. The complaint has been referred to the O.C. of the Kamalnagar Police Station for speedy investigation. The case reference is CR-477/2021.
Startling as it is, the lawsuits immediate sticking point is its connection to the Prime Minister and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the threats meted out to the Prime Minister’s family. However, the plaintiff, one Mr. Md. Ridoy Kazi, is reportedly a vehement supporter of the Awami League Party. Our correspondent managed to catch up to him and he has this to say, “I am shocked and deeply aggrieved by how people like that get away with besmirching the good name of the many capable men and women currently governing our great nation. They think it is a joke. I personally am a great supporter of free speech and invite constructive criticism. But if you take one look at what ‘The Daily Nobojug’ and its gang of hoodlums have written in this article, you will immediately realise how childish and baseless they are. The mud that they have thrown around only serves to incite and aggravate people, there is nothing constructive or even accurate about what they wrote. As a dutiful Bangladeshi citizen, I believe I need to set an example and take a stand against these things.”
According to our sources, ‘The Daily Nobojug’ is moderated from abroad, and its contributors, at least those listed in the lawsuit whom our correspondent tried to get in touch with rather unsuccessfully, also operate from foreign shores. We have approached ‘The Daily Nobojug’ and has subsequently sent them an email requesting a response. We are yet to hear back from them as of now.
Our court correspondent also got in touch Bangladesh Foreign Ministry, querying whether the foreign ministry has been keeping tabs on this situation or whether they are trying to trace the whereabouts of the accused individuals. They have declined to share any information and we were instead referred to the Home Ministry by a very irate spokesperson. Our correspondent was not even able to get through at the Home Ministry.
This left us having to seek out the CID headquarter, in charge of conducting primary investigations over the charges brought in this lawsuit. Although we were declined an interview with the chief investigating officer, one of the on-duty officers did speak to us and stated “that the investigations are still in their infancy. There is also a strong possibility that the CID could get involved here given the sensitive nature of this matter. The media shall be updated accordingly”.
Although defamation lawsuits are fairly common, one must adjudge the magnitude of this particular one, with Bangladesh’s current socio-political climate. As such this lawsuit might possibly bear added implications for those charged, along with the documented legal ones of course. As per the Digital Security Act 2018, anyone proven guilty of defamation charges brought against him, will be liable to not only face a sizeable fine but also a significant amount of jail time.
The case continues.
