Bangladesh government to call Facebook and TikTok representatives to discuss role of networks in protests
Bangladesh’s Telecommunications Minister Junaid Ahmed Palak has announced that the government will restore internet access on Sunday, which has been severely restricted since the outbreak of a wave of protests against the now suspended quota system for civil servants in mid-month, and has called representatives of social networks Facebook and TikTok to discuss the role they have played during the protests.
The protests against the quota system — which awarded 30 percent of places to descendants of fighters from Pakistan’s war of independence in a discriminatory decision according to critics — have been the most serious in the country’s recent history. Organisations such as Amnesty International have accused the security forces of practising a policy of repression against the protesters and there is still no official death toll, but national media, citing medical sources, estimate around 200 dead and some 20,000 injured.
In a press conference reported by the TV channel Somoy News, Minister Palak has indicated that the population will have access to the Internet again at around 11:00 (mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands time). Since July 23, it should be remembered, the connection had been reestablished for diplomatic headquarters, banks and financial institutions and some residential areas.
However, it is still unknown what will happen to the servers of Facebook and TikTok, the two most used networks in the country, which have remained closed until now. Precisely the minister has taken the opportunity to announce that representatives of both platforms have been summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry next Wednesday to give explanations for their passivity when it comes to “preventing the dissemination of violent content”. The government has not ruled out continuing to suspend access if it is not satisfied with the meeting.
TWO OTHER ORGANISERS ARRESTED
Also in the last few hours, the arrest of two other organisers of the student movements that have led the protests has been announced.
These are Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah, in the hands of the Bangladesh Police, as confirmed to the Bangladeshi branch of the BBC by the deputy assistant commissioner of the police intelligence division, Junaid Alam Sarkar.
Alam and Abdullah are now in the hands of the detective squad of the Metropolitan Police of the capital of the country, Dhaka, and with them there are already five activists still detained for questioning for their role in the protests.
