Amnesty Expresses Deep Concern Over Cybersecurity, Enforced Disappearance Prevention and SRB Laws

Amnesty International has written to Bangladesh’s Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. It voiced concern over three laws that were recently proposed or passed. They are the Cyber Security (Amendment) Act 2026, the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act 2026, and the Special Response Battalion (SRB) Act 2026. In the letter, sent a few days ago, Amnesty urged the government to bring the laws in line with international human rights law. The letter follows a meeting between the minister and the organization’s Secretary General at the United Nations General Assembly last September.

Amnesty International expressed serious concern about the proposed Cyber Security (Amendment) Act. It said earlier laws were used to cut human rights, including freedom of expression. These were the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006, the Digital Security Act 2018 and the Cyber Security Act 2023. Amnesty said the new amendment does not fix this problem and may add new risks of rights violations.

The amendment proposes to widen the range of offences around defamation, insult, harassment, false information and rumours. Because the definitions are vague and broad, there is a fear the law may be used to harass or silence journalists, rights activists, political opponents and critics of the government.

Section 8(2) of the proposed law increases the number of agencies with power to remove information or stop online publication. It covers information that may harm national security or public order and information that may spread religious or communal hatred. It also covers information that may direct disorder or criminal acts, defame a person or organization, or show “disrespect” to the state.

Amnesty says these grounds are vague and too broad, so authorities can use them as they wish to limit freedom of expression. The amendment also proposes to remove the rule that a tribunal must approve the removal or blocking of information within three days. The proposed rules allow up to 10 years in prison and a fine of Tk 40 lakh. Amnesty called for the amendment to be withdrawn.

Welcome for the enforced disappearance law, but changes needed

Amnesty welcomed the making of the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act 2026. However, it said the law does not fully match the international convention against enforced disappearance. Amnesty advised changing the law’s definition of a victim of enforced disappearance. It said the law should not require the same public official to detain a person and later deny the detention or hide the person’s location.

Amnesty also said the rule that allows hiding an arrest for national security, even when the person is brought before a magistrate within 24 hours, should be removed. It opposed the death penalty in Section 6 of the law and called for a pause and full abolition. Section 18 allows trial in the absence of the accused. Amnesty says such trials can harm fairness except in some situations.

Section 21 provides compensation or up to five years in prison for “false and harassing” complaints of enforced disappearance. Amnesty fears this may stop families of victims from filing complaints.

SRB is RAB under a new name

Amnesty also raised concern over the Special Response Battalion (SRB) Act. It says the law changes the name of RAB, but moves the members, powers and assets to the new unit. Amnesty noted the credible claims against RAB of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other serious rights violations. It called it a major gap that members of the old force were moved to the new unit without checking their rights records.