News Title : Three held for posting, sharing links on Facebook

News Date : 2015-12-04

-Staff Correspondent
Rapid Action Battalion detained three youths for posting images that ‘demeaned’ prominent people and sharing links of ‘political’ news items, on blocked social media site Facebook, using alternative means. The arrested are Towhid Hasan, 21, of Pirojpur, Tanvir Ahmed, 18, of Shariatpur, and Omar Faruk, 22, of Sirajganj. On November19, the government on ‘security’ grounds blocked Facebook, Whatsapp, Viber, Tango, Line and Hangout, along with a video streaming site Ustream TV, until further notice. The three were detained as ‘they use blocked Facebook in alternative ways and continue blogging to share harmful “link” and provoke others to use the “links”,’ said a RAB press release on Thursday. ‘A team of RAB-2 detained them from different areas of the capital around 2am on Thursday for using social media platform through alternative ways and committing cyber crimes and carrying out online propaganda against the country’s constructive activities and for their involvement in instigating anti-state activities’, said the release issued on behalf of RAB director [legal and media] Mufti Mahmood Khan. When contacted, RAB-2 commanding officer Mohiuddin Ahmed told New Age that all three were students of universities and colleges. They were not involved in any militant activity, admitted RAB. ‘The used and shared links of different news related to politics and they shared some posts against some prominent people, including the Prime Minister, which can tarnish their image,’ he said. Despite the block on access to Facebook, a number of ministers, lawmakers, ruling party leaders, high officials, and wings of different ministries are using the popular social media platform almost regularly. They continued using Facebook despite a warning from the state minister for posts and telecommunications, Tarana Halim, on using Facebook on November 21 when she said said, ‘We are currently monitoring those who are using Facebook through alternative ways.’ The state minister for information and communications technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, on Thursday said the popular social network Facebook will be reopened very soon. ‘Hope we will be able to reopen it [Facebook] within a short time,’ he said while speaking at a press briefing on the first-ever national debate on ICT at the National Press Club. Asked when exactly the block will go, Palak said, ‘I can’t tell you any specific date, but I can tell you we will unblock Facebook soon.’ Earlier On January 18, the government blocked access to mobile messaging and internet calling application Viber and Tango. In September 2012, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission blocked access to video sharing site YouTube in Bangladesh for 260 days following worldwide protests at a 14-minute trailer of a film titled ‘Innocence of Muslims’ which reportedly mocked Islam and its Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

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