Citizens Call for Swift Approval of Telecom Amendment Ordinance, Seek NTMC Dissolution
A group of prominent Bangladeshi citizens has called for the immediate approval of the draft Bangladesh Telecommunication (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, demanding the dissolution of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) and stronger accountability mechanisms for officials beyond the control of the judiciary and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The demand was made in a joint statement signed by 94 eminent citizens on Saturday, December 20, and circulated to the media.
Signatories to the statement include economist Professor Anu Muhammad, Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, writer and academic Salimullah Khan, human rights activist Nur Khan Liton, novelist Moinul Ahsan Saber, academics Kamrul Hasan, Fahmidul Haque, human rights activist Rezaur Rahman Lenin, Jahangirnagar University professor Mirza Taslima Sultana, former Dhaka University professor Ridwanul Hoque, Professor Asif M Shaheen, writer and researcher Rahat Mustafiz, researcher Mir Huzaifa Al Mamduh, writer-organiser Nahid Hasan, and science researcher Dr Md Imdadul Haque Khan, among others.
In the statement, the signatories said the NTMC—accused of enabling human rights violations, illegal surveillance and enforced disappearances during the Hasina era—must be dismantled. They noted that although stakeholders were formally consulted during the drafting and amendment process of the ordinance, public opinions were being ignored.
They recalled that, in line with the aspirations of the mass uprising, the interim government had earlier published a draft ordinance proposing the permanent abolition of the government’s power to shut down the internet and major reforms to the surveillance framework. The draft also proposed the complete dissolution of the NTMC. However, despite being placed before the advisory council on December 12, the revised draft was not approved.
Citing media reports, the statement said differences within the government over dismantling the NTMC had stalled the reform process, raising concerns that the state was retreating from surveillance reform. It alleged that on October 15, a separate draft law—containing three proposals to restructure the NTMC under a new name—was prepared without meaningful public participation, potentially expanding surveillance powers instead.
The statement further claimed that during a law and order core committee meeting on November 17, the head of a state agency complained that surveillance capabilities were being weakened, allegedly threatening national sovereignty and monitoring of anti-state activities. Following this, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury reportedly instructed officials to convene a meeting on the Telecommunications Ordinance 2025.
The signatories warned that at least two citizen-protection clauses from the published draft may be removed in a new version expected to be tabled next week, again without public consultation. They expressed concern that the Ministry of Home Affairs was attempting to centralise surveillance authority, which they said could revive Hasina-era monitoring practices and pose a threat to citizens’ rights.
The statement noted growing ambiguity over which authorities would hold interception powers, which agencies would approve surveillance, and how oversight and power-sharing would be ensured, warning that such uncertainty echoes the excesses of the past.
Addressing the Chief Adviser and other authorities, the citizens asserted that post-uprising Bangladesh must not return to the Hasina era. They stressed that internet connectivity must never be shut down, disrupted or restricted, and called for full retention of provisions ensuring prosecution of officials involved in unlawful surveillance. They urged the government to approve the draft Bangladesh Telecommunication (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 prepared with public input, giving priority to citizen participation and opinions.
The statement added that public support for the declaration is being mobilised online, with many sector stakeholders endorsing and signing the citizens’ appeal.
DBTech/Statement/EC/OR
