Both ruling Awami League and state minister for posts, telecommunication and information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak continue to give posts on facebook although common users have been shut out of the social media for nearly 10 days amid the anti-quota student movement.
The official facebook page of Awami League was found to contain content uploaded throughout the entire internet blackout period from July 18 to Wednesday.
Zunaid Ahmed Palak could not be reached for comments either by mobile phone call, or messages.
Experts said that blocking social media platforms is a violation of constitutional rights of the citizens, as it obstructs exercising the rights of freedom of expressions.
Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of the Transparency International Bangladesh, told New Age that inaccessibility to internet, including digital platforms like social media, not only deprived people of their right to information and freedom of opinion, but also restricted the prospect of transparent and accountable management of the crisis.
‘Apart from the enormous costs in terms of digital platform based business and services, it is also contradictory to our constitution and relevant laws as well as Bangladesh’s commitments as a signatory to relevant international legal instruments under which the government is pledge bound to ensure free flow of information and freedom of opinion,’ he said.
The TIB executive director added that restrictions on free flow of information and opinion created the breeding grounds for the worst forms of fake news and rumours that grossly undermined the state’s crisis management capacity.
The government shut down the internet services for general users, through both broadband connections and mobile internet, from July 18, amid the countrywide student protests, until Wednesday.
Users reported that they could not access social media platforms smoothly since July 16 even before the internet blackout. They said that although internet connection was restored social media platforms remained inaccessible as of filing this report on Friday evening.
On Wednesday, the state minister said that access to the social media platforms was made unavailable, as the platforms, especially Facebook and YouTube, did not comply with the country’s law.
‘Amid the current situation, we cannot risk opening the platforms, the government will write to the platforms seeking explanation for their non-compliance with law,’ he said.
Experts said that no clear statement had been issued from the authorities concerned regarding the inaccessibility to the social media, which indicated lack of transparency.
Senior lawyer and rights activist Sara Hossain told New Age that in the current world precedents were rare where a country blocked the internet services to prevent communication and free flow of information.
‘We have observed that whenever any protest starts to spreads, the authorities interrupt internet services so people in the outside world do not know about our situation,’ she said, adding, ‘As reportedly authorities have said that they will take decisions later on whether or not to open the social media platforms, it is clear that this is no technical problem, rather a decision by the authorities.’
On Wednesday, state minister Palak said at a press briefing that broadband connections would be restored countrywide on a trial basis by that evening.
