The Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said that they will use their power to remove the content of BNP Acting Chairman Tarek Rahman’s speech from social media once they get a copy of the court’s directive.
The minister responded while asked from reporters after a meeting on online financial fraud and illegal and unverified financial transactions at the secretariat on Tuesday (August 29).
Regarding online financial fraud, the minister said that cryptocurrency is not legal in Bangladesh and the ministry is not supposed to know how much money has been digitally cheated. Bangladesh Bank sees money fraud. We didn’t know anything about MTFE. The media didn’t know either. Facebook does not do business with approval in the country. Facebook is hard to handle. Can’t even be turned off. The government will take measures so that purposes with Facebook can be served.
Posts and Telecommunications Secretary Abu Hena Morshed Zaman,; BTRC Chairman Shyam Sundar Sikder; Posts and Telecommunications Division Additional Secretary Mohammad Rezaul Karim; Finance Department Additional Secretary Bilkis Jahan Rimi; Commerce Ministry Additional Secretary Md. Ruhul Amin; Digital Security Agency Director General Abu Saeed Md. Kamruzzaman; Director General of Department of Telecommunication Md. Rafiqul Islam; Director General of Department of Posts Md. Harunur Rashid; Joint Secretary of Public Safety Department ASM Ferdous; Joint Secretary of ICT Division Md. Mehdi Hasan; Joint Secretary of Financial Institutions Department Dr. Nahid Hossain; Director of NTMC Brigadier General Mohammad Baker; Director of NSI Brigadier General Md. Shahan Sadi, DGFI representative Col. SM Azad; Additional DIG of SB Md Mizanur Rahman; Intelligence Inspectorate representative of Armed Forces Department Captain Sheikh Shahid Ahmedwere present at that time.
Director General of BTRC Brigadier General Md. Nasim Parvez presented the keynote speech at the event.
In the meeting, the types of financial fraud organized online in Bangladesh, use of fake financial websites and apps for illegal financial transactions, inducing people to gamble or betting using social media platforms, process of illegal financial transactions online, use of MFS accounts in the name of fake account holders, through various online activities The involvement of various organizations, responsibilities and powers of BTRC, ways to identify criminals involved in online financial fraud and challenges in stopping illegal financial transactions online were discussed.
In response to the questions of the journalists after the meeting, he said that the court has instructed them, we will use our power as much as we have since we received the copy of the order in the court.
He said, we will inform the platforms where the content needs to be removed as per the court order that the court has asked you to remove this content. Our experience is that if the court says that the content must be corrected, usually the social media that exist do not have the mindset to deny it. They try to respect the court as much as possible.
The High Court on Monday ordered the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to remove all statements made by Tarek Rahman from social media.
Justice Md. Khasruzzaman and Justice Md. Khairul Alam bench gave this order in a supplementary application of the plaintiff in the hearing of the rule regarding the ban on the speech of Tarek Rahman.
When attention was drawn to this matter, Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar said, “In the digital world, what can be locked and what to keep open, these issues should be discussed more thoroughly.
“The court has instructed them, we will use whatever power we have once we received the copy of the court order from our side.”
The minister said, “We will inform the platforms from which the content needs to be removed as per the court order that the court has asked you to remove this content.
“Our experience is that if the court says that the content should be corrected, usually the social media that are there are not in the mindset to deny them. They try to respect the court as much as possible.”
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s eldest son Tarek Rahman has been staying in the UK with his family for 15 years. In the meantime, the verdict has come against Tarek in five cases.
Eight and a half years ago, Tarek was criticized for various controversial comments about the history of Bangladesh and Bangabandhu. In that context, the High Court banned the dissemination and publication of his speech or statement in all forms of media while he was a ‘fugitive in the eyes of the law’.
On January 7, 2015, Justice Kazi Reza-ul Haque and Justice Abu Taher Md. Saifur Rahman’s bench gave that interim order along with the rule.
Recently, the issue of ban came into discussion when Tarek Rahman’s video speech was aired at a BNP rally in Naya Paltan. The writ petitioner then took the initiative to challenge the High Court’s ruling.
At that time, the High Court had issued a ruling seeking to know why no direction should be given to ban the publication of Tarek’s speech. The rule asked the information and home secretary to implement the interim order.
Information Secretary, Home Secretary, Law Secretary, Inspector General of Police, Director General of BTV, Chairman of BTRC, Chief News Editor of Ekushe TV, Editor of Kaler Kantha and Tariq Rahman were then asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.
At the same time, the High Court directed the Foreign Secretary to inform the Foreign Secretary about the status of Tariq Rahman’s staying abroad. The Inspector General of Police was asked to give a report on the validity of Tarek’s passport, hence 30 days.
But because the notice could not be sent to Tariq Rahman, the hearing on the rule could not be started even after eight and a half years.
While sending the notice, it is seen that in the writ petition, ‘Room’ was written in place of ‘Road’ in one place of Tarek Rahman’s address. He did not receive the notice because of the mistake.
After that notice is sent to Tarek’s address as per rules. The case was then prepared for hearing. On August 22, the High Court ordered inclusion in the agenda for the hearing of the rule.
Advocate Nasreen Siddika Lina filed a supplementary application on Sunday asking for instructions to remove all statements of Tarek Rahman from all media. The court ordered on Monday after hearing that matter.