Criticise the Government, Risk Custody
A series of arrests for critical social media posts raises concerns that the current government is repeating past patterns of stifling free speech, despite promises of reform.
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On the afternoon of 25 October, the 30-year-old beauty parlour owner in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, went live on Facebook. Thieves had stripped electrical and AC wires from her shops, and she had had enough. "I voted for the BNP government, and now I am the sufferer," she told viewers.
By evening, BNP activists and traders had gathered outside her parlour. By 8:30 pm, she was in police custody. The next afternoon, a court sent her to jail.
The twist? Mohammad Zahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bhaluka Model Police Station, said he watched her video four times and found no anti-government remarks. He said she was held because tension was building with the traders.
Since the BNP took office in February, at least 13 people have been arrested or detained for posts, videos, or remarks about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, his ministers, or the government. Together, they raise an uncomfortable question: is criticising those in power becoming risky again?
Thirteen people, eight months
It began in March. Azizul Haque, 35, a Jamaat supporter in Muktagachha, shared an edited photo of the prime minister beside a woman. A local leader of BNP's volunteer wing filed the complaint, and Azizul was jailed under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the cyber law. Muktagachha OC Lutfar Rahman said police acted on local information.
April brought five more. In Sreenagar, Munshiganj, Jubo Dal activists seized restaurant owner Shaon Mahmud over an abusive post; OC Jewel Mia said his profile carried anti-state posts. In Bhola, Sawda Sumi was arrested and later bailed. In Dhaka, content creator Hasan Nasim was held over a cartoon of the Chief Whip, who later asked for his release. Shakil Ahmed was held over an AI-generated image featuring the PM's daughter, and student Nishad Islam was held over a video mocking a state minister.
September brought five more:
- Gazipur: Student Sifat Abdullah abused the PM in a video about power bills of up to Tk 5,000. Gachha OC Golam Rabbani said he was held under the anti-terror law for alleged links to the banned Awami League.
- Meherpur: Sanjoy Kumar Das, 28, vented about the load shedding. Sadar OC Humayun Kabir said he was arrested in an older case.
- Sylhet: Mehedi Ahmed, 21, was jailed under the anti-terror law over an abusive video. Kotwali's acting OC, Mainul Zakir, tied him to Chhatra League processions.
- Gaibandha: Computer-shop owner Humayun Kabir Duke, 21, was jailed in a police-filed cyber law case, Kanchibari police in-charge Md Selim Reza said.
- Sreepur: NCP leader Ashraful Islam Sajal, 26, posted about his power bill. Acting OC Mohammad Shahinur Alam said Sajal was held in an anti-terror case over an Awami League procession, "not for any Facebook status". His mother says the police told her otherwise.
In October, Moulvibazar police, under acting OC Md Saiful Islam, detained TikToker Mamun Mia. Then came Sathi.
The same script, again and again
Local BNP activists spot a post and alert the police or confront the person themselves. Police step in, often at night, and often file the case themselves. Most of those held are young, from small towns, and angry about everyday problems: power bills, power cuts, theft.
Yet the cases differ. Some posts were abusive or used doctored images; others were ordinary complaints. Those held include Jamaat and NCP activists, alleged Chhatra League members and people with no politics at all. Cases that went viral in Dhaka ended in bail within days, while most district cases ended in jail.
What the law actually says
The Cyber Security Act 2026, passed on 10 April, has no offence for defamation or "false" information; the interim government's 2025 ordinance dropped those. It's only speech offence, Section 26, covers religious or ethnic hatred that stirs violence, and it is bailable. Under Section 40, only the person harmed, their written representative, or law enforcement can file a case. A later amendment, passed on 30 June, only removed a gambling clause.
Defamation is still an offence under the Penal Code, but only the person defamed can bring that case.
So police have reached for heavier tools. At least five people face Anti-Terrorism Act charges, three of them with claimed Awami League links. As amended, that law bans any online campaigning for a banned group. Police papers even labelled NCP leader Sajal a "Jubo League worker". Sathi was held under Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a preventive power. Two others were held under Section 54, which the interim government amended to bar preventive detention.
Where it meets the Constitution
Article 39 guarantees freedom of speech, subject only to "reasonable restrictions" for grounds such as state security, public order, decency or defamation. Insulting a prime minister is not a separate ground.
Articles 31 and 32 say no one can lose their liberty except "in accordance with law". Article 33 says anyone arrested must be told the grounds, allowed a lawyer and taken to a magistrate within 24 hours. Bangladesh is also a party to the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), the UN treaty that protects freedom of expression and prohibits arbitrary detention.
Have we seen this before?
Under the Awami League's Digital Security Act, researchers counted about 190 cases for "defaming" Sheikh Hasina, mostly filed by her supporters. In 2020, a ninth-grader from Bhaluka, Sathi's own upazila, was sent to a juvenile centre for insulting the then prime minister.
Today's numbers are far smaller, and the law is narrower. Still, rights groups and lawyers worry that police are acting to please the ruling party, that people are picked up at night without clear reasons, and that terrorism charges are being stretched to cover angry words. A draft amendment, not yet passed, would bring back similar offences, adding vague "rumour" and "disinformation" crimes punishable by up to 10 years, deepening those fears.
The government says that is not its aim. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has pledged to protect freedom of expression, and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed says the cyber law will not be allowed to become oppressive.
Back to Bhaluka
Some of these posts were crude, and a few may deserve a legal answer. But Sathi Akter threatened no one. She complained about stolen wires, and the officer who held her said her remarks fell within the bounds of free speech. She is in jail all the same.
The BNP came to power promising that Bangladeshis could speak freely. Sathi's case is a small one, but it may show most clearly where the line between criticism and crime now sits.