Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern over an international media report on the Bangladesh government’s purchase of highly controversial surveillance technology from Israel.
In a statement sent to the media on Thursday (January 12, 2023), the organization said, the countrymen have the right to know the answers to the basic questions that such a terrible tool was bought with public tax money according to which specific laws and policies, for what purpose, in what context, in whose interest it will be used. In the absence of specific policies, the TIB has expressed its concern that the use of such technology will pose a serious risk of undermining several fundamental constitutional rights, including the privacy, security, and freedom of speech and expression of personal information and communications.
According to a report by the Israeli media Haaretz, Bangladesh bought sophisticated surveillance technology from a notorious company run by a former Israeli intelligence commander, which arrived in Bangladesh in June last year.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, ‘The citizens have the right to know the government’s precise explanation about the extent and scope of buying and using technology that undermines the privacy, protection, freedom of speech and expression of the people’s personal information and communication and above all threatens the life and livelihood of the individual.’
Dr. Zaman said, “Nothing was bought directly from Israel, the government’s explanation does not mean that this Israeli technology was not imported’. The published news clearly mentions that the purchase was made through Cyprus at a cost of around 60 crore taka due to the lack of diplomatic relations between Israel and Bangladesh. The NTMC commander and other senior officials even visited Greece in 2021 and 2022 to learn how to operate this technology, the report said. If this information is false, it is the responsibility of the concerned authorities and the government to prove it. After all, there is no room for doubt that this technology has already reached the relevant agencies of the government. So the main question is, according to which policy or law, in whose interest, for what purpose, under what circumstances, the fundamental rights of people using this terrible technology, thus, the constitution will be violated. It is the responsibility of the government to publish transparent and acceptable answers to these questions for the knowledge of the countrymen.
The executive director of TIB said, ‘In the last few years, it can be said with certainty that one or more specialized government agencies, including the law enforcement agencies, have been using various surveillance technologies in the case of leaking phone conversations of politicians, ministers, businessmen, media workers and dissidents. But the government has never given any specific statement in this regard. Apparently, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the ruling elite is using such surveillance technology arbitrarily and violating the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including security, freedom of speech, freedom of expression and defamation of the individual concerned. So there is no alternative to formulating a specific policy framework with answers to the above questions without being cautious in this regard. If not, Bangladesh will be considered as a completely surveillance-based state by trampling public interest.
TIB believes that, in all the examples of the use of surveillance technology that have been revealed to the countrymen, there is no reason to claim that such activities are being conducted only for the sake of national security. There is no option to suspend the use of this technology until a concrete policy involving all parties is formulated to ensure the constitutional rights of individuals.