ONI Country Profi le
245
Although the government does not proactively fi lter Internet content, it has blocked
Web sites on two occasions. On March 6, 2009, the government blocked access to
YouTube for hosting a recording of a conversation between Prime Minister Hasina and
Bangladeshi army offi cers in the aftermath of the BDR mutiny. In the conversation,
army offi cials yelled angrily while the prime minister defended her decision to negotiate with the BDR during the course of the mutiny — a move that many believed gave
border guards time to kill army offi cers and rape their wives.
26 Users reported that
other fi le-hosting Web sites such as eSnips and Mediafi re were also inaccessible. It was
suspected that the Web sites were blocked by the fi rewalls at the international Internet
gateway, since the sites were still available through proxy.
27 According to one senior
government offi cial, “ The government can block any site that contains anti-state or
subversive contents, which may cause unrest. We took the measure temporarily. It will
be lifted soon. ”
28 The ban was lifted on March 12, 2009.
On May 29, 2010, the BTRC placed a temporary block on Facebook (which has
close to one million Bangladeshi users)
29 because of content deemed offensive — in
particular, caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed and Bangladeshi political leaders.
On the day before the ban, thousands of Bangladeshis took to the streets of Dhaka to
protest Facebook and the “ Everyone Draw Mohammed Day ” campaign being spread
across the site. One of these protest organizers explained that “ drawing caricatures of
the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, is an attack on Islam and is extremely
humiliating for Islam. ”
30 That same day, three Islamic political parties demanded an
immediate ban.
31 According to BTRC acting chairman Hasan Mahmud Delwar, the
ban was imposed because the Web site “ hurt the religious sentiments of the country ’ s
majority Muslim population. ”
32 The move to block the entire Web site as opposed to
just the offending content was undertaken because the BTCL and Mango Telecom had
not yet found a way to target the specifi c content.
33 An offi cial explained that the ban
would be lifted once a way to block offensive content was discovered. The decision
to block the Web site angered many, including a group of Dhaka University students
who subsequently took to the streets to protest.
34 On June 5, access was restored to
Facebook after the company agreed to remove satirical cartoons of Mohammed and
Bangladeshi politicians.
35
Coincidently, the ban was imposed on the same day that the Rapid Action Battalion
36 arrested Mahbub Alam Rodin for posting satirical images of Bangladeshi politicians (including Prime Minister Hasina) on Facebook. Rodin was charged with
“ spreading malice and insulting the country ’ s leaders. ”
37
Legal and Regulatory Framework
The right to freedom of expression was severely curtailed during the state of emergency
when the military-backed government imposed harsh restrictions on alreadyweakened media. Editors and journalists were told to exercise caution and were
245
Although the government does not proactively fi lter Internet content, it has blocked
Web sites on two occasions. On March 6, 2009, the government blocked access to
YouTube for hosting a recording of a conversation between Prime Minister Hasina and
Bangladeshi army offi cers in the aftermath of the BDR mutiny. In the conversation,
army offi cials yelled angrily while the prime minister defended her decision to negotiate with the BDR during the course of the mutiny — a move that many believed gave
border guards time to kill army offi cers and rape their wives.
26 Users reported that
other fi le-hosting Web sites such as eSnips and Mediafi re were also inaccessible. It was
suspected that the Web sites were blocked by the fi rewalls at the international Internet
gateway, since the sites were still available through proxy.
27 According to one senior
government offi cial, “ The government can block any site that contains anti-state or
subversive contents, which may cause unrest. We took the measure temporarily. It will
be lifted soon. ”
28 The ban was lifted on March 12, 2009.
On May 29, 2010, the BTRC placed a temporary block on Facebook (which has
close to one million Bangladeshi users)
29 because of content deemed offensive — in
particular, caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed and Bangladeshi political leaders.
On the day before the ban, thousands of Bangladeshis took to the streets of Dhaka to
protest Facebook and the “ Everyone Draw Mohammed Day ” campaign being spread
across the site. One of these protest organizers explained that “ drawing caricatures of
the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, is an attack on Islam and is extremely
humiliating for Islam. ”
30 That same day, three Islamic political parties demanded an
immediate ban.
31 According to BTRC acting chairman Hasan Mahmud Delwar, the
ban was imposed because the Web site “ hurt the religious sentiments of the country ’ s
majority Muslim population. ”
32 The move to block the entire Web site as opposed to
just the offending content was undertaken because the BTCL and Mango Telecom had
not yet found a way to target the specifi c content.
33 An offi cial explained that the ban
would be lifted once a way to block offensive content was discovered. The decision
to block the Web site angered many, including a group of Dhaka University students
who subsequently took to the streets to protest.
34 On June 5, access was restored to
Facebook after the company agreed to remove satirical cartoons of Mohammed and
Bangladeshi politicians.
35
Coincidently, the ban was imposed on the same day that the Rapid Action Battalion
36 arrested Mahbub Alam Rodin for posting satirical images of Bangladeshi politicians (including Prime Minister Hasina) on Facebook. Rodin was charged with
“ spreading malice and insulting the country ’ s leaders. ”
37
Legal and Regulatory Framework
The right to freedom of expression was severely curtailed during the state of emergency
when the military-backed government imposed harsh restrictions on alreadyweakened media. Editors and journalists were told to exercise caution and were