Cases under Digital Security Act will continue, but the punishment may be reduced: Law Minister
The United Nations has expressed satisfaction over the repealing of Bangladesh's Digital Security Act 2018. UN Resident Representative in Dhaka Gwyn Lewis applauded the initiative after a meeting with Law Minister Anisul Haque at the Secretariat on Tuesday (August 8) after spokesperson Matthew Miller welcomed the scrapping of the law at a regular press conference at the State Department in Washington on Monday (August 7). Senior Human Rights Adviser Humaira Khan was also with her.
After the meeting, Ms. Lewis was asked about the Cyber Security Act 2023, and she said that she had not yet seen the new law in its entirety. ‘That's why I can't comment. From what I have heard, if the law has changed, that would be great’.
Law Minister Anisul Haque said in response to the journalists' questions, "Since the amount of punishment has been reduced in many sections and changes have been made in the newly approved Cyber Security Act, we will think about it." The position of the law is that the court can punish the offender for the offense committed under the old law. But we will think about it, since the amount of punishment has been reduced to a large extent in the law and that reduction is the objective of the government and the legislature, we will try to make it a reality.'
He also said that the Digital Security Act has been repealed while the Cyber Security Act is in one phase. In fact it will be abolished. The point is that the technical clauses which were in the Digital Security Act are also in the Cyber Security Act. That is why I have always said that it has changed, the Digital Security Act has not been amended, and it has not been completely repealed. There have been changes and the changes were so many that if I had kept this name then it would have been called the Digital Security Amendment Act. Whenever the Digital Security Act was read, the Digital Security Amendment Act was also read. It was confusing. That is why it has been completely rebranded as Cyber to increase its scope. That is why it is named Cyber Security Act.
