Dhaka
Rights activists on Tuesday condemned the arrest of the editor of a Bangladesh opposition newspaper under harsh new digital security laws that critics say are used to muzzle dissent. Abul Asad, editor of the Daily Sangram, was taken into custody on Friday after a publishing an article describing an executed opposition leader as a “martyr”. The 80-year-old was charged with defaming Bangladesh’s liberation war history for mentioning Abdul Quader Mollah, who was convicted of war crimes committed during the 1971 independence war, local police chief Biplob Kumar Talukder said. Asad, who is due in court on Wednesday for an initial hearing, faces a maximum sentence of life behind bars if he is found guilty. Bangladesh court sentences extremists to death for 2016 attack on foreigners Bangladesh media laws — already used to arrest scores of opposition activists.—AFP
