The interim government has formed a committee to investigate the procurement and use of surveillance equipment in Bangladesh.
The committee will be headed by the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant on Posts, Telecommunications, and ICT Affairs, Fayez Ahmad Tayyeb.
According to the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, the committee will examine how the equipment was acquired, from where, at what cost, and how it was used.
Reports suggest that during the previous authoritarian regime, surveillance devices and spyware — allegedly worth between $200 million and $300 million — were used to infringe upon citizens’ rights, curtail freedom of speech, and violate constitutional privacy protections.
Some reports also claim parts of the equipment were purchased from Israel.
The Press Secretary stated that the investigation will determine the exact procurement costs, sources, and usage details.
He also provided updates on the implementation of reform commission recommendations, noting that 121 proposals were previously under implementation — 16 already completed, 14 partially implemented, and the rest ongoing.
An additional 246 urgent reform proposals have since been added, bringing the total to 367, of which 37 have been implemented so far.
Of these, 82 recommendations pertain to labor issues, many nearing completion. Other urgent reform proposals include 71 from the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, 37 from the Local Government Reform Commission, 33 from the Health Sector Reform Commission, and 23 from the Media Reform Commission.
The Press Secretary added that the government is also investigating the procurement and use of lethal weapons for the police, with details on acquisition methods and deployment under review.
