Bangladeshi writer, detained over social media posts, dies in jail

Protesters shout slogans as they block a busy intersection to protest the death of Ahmed, in Dhaka. Pic/AFP

Protesters blocked a busy intersection in Bangladesh's capital on Friday to protest the death in prison of a writer and commentator who was arrested on charges of violating a sweeping digital security law that critics say stifles freedom of expression.

Mushtaq Ahmed. Pic Courtesy/www.cpj.org

Mushtaq Ahmed, 53, was arrested in Dhaka in May last year for making comments on social media that criticised the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government's handling of the Coronavirus pandemic. He had been denied bail at least six times.

It was not immediately clear how Ahmed died on Thursday. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Friday that an investigation would follow. Hundreds of protesters gathered near Dhaka University's campus while many others took to social media to voice their anger. They chanted slogans demanding the repeal of the law and shouted "Justice, justice, we want justice!"

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International urged Bangladesh to investigate the case. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also demanded the government cancel the security act and probe Ahmed's death. "Mushtaq Ahmed's death in a Bangladeshi prison, where he never should have been detained in the first place, is a devastating and unconscionable loss," said Aliya Iftikhar, CPJ's senior Asia researcher.