In a joint statement released on Thursday, 41 well-known individuals of the nation demanded that the lawsuit against Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and Journalist Samsuzzaman Shams under the Digital Security Act, 2018 be dropped.
Also, they asked the relevant authorities to take the required steps to abolish the act.
The citizens stated in a statement that "if somebody is offended by a story published in the media, there is a press council law in the country to settle the matter."
Eminent photographer Shahidul Alam, economist Professor Anu Muhammad, Shusashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, Mass Communication and Journalism professor Robayet Ferdous from Dhaka University, and author and activist Professor Rehnuma Ahmed were among those who released the statement.
They described Shams' imprisonment as a "violation of the law" and claimed that such accusations and arrests hinder press freedom and freedom of expression.
They said, "The Digital Security Act is being utilized to torture journalists and to repress dissent and criticism of the government. We ask for its immediate repeal."
"If this situation does not change soon, the ideal career and national glory of journalism will be lost," they continued.
The former vice chancellor of Patuakhali University of Science and Technology Prof Abdul Latif Masum, human rights activist Nur Khan Liton, former diplomat Shakib Ali, Supreme Court lawyer advocate Subrata Chowdhury, writer and researcher Altaf Parvez, writer and politician Firoz Ahmed, and writer and journalist Farooq Wasif are among the other signatories.
