How to fix the legacy of internet shutdowns in Bangladesh

September 18, 2024

DHAKA – Bangladesh endured a series of unprecedented state-sanctioned internet shutdowns during the month-long student protests, starting with restrictions on social media, messaging services, and mobile internet, and culminating in a near-total blackout that lasted five days. Although connectivity was temporarily restored, the final shutdown coincided with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and departure on August 5.

A recent investigation under the interim government revealed that two government agencies, the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), issued shutdown orders during student protests, under the direction of former state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, without any judicial or administrative approval. These top-down measures by the government to disconnect the internet is not new; the state has resorted to this brute force method of internet control on numerous occasions since 2009, with shutdowns occurring almost annually since 2015.

For over a decade, the UN Human Rights Council has condemned internet shutdowns and urged national governments to refrain from impeding internet access, reiterating that internet access is a human right and imploring governments to align domestic policies with international obligations on online freedom of expression. Although the Bangladesh Constitution does not explicitly mention internet access as a fundamental right, the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression can be interpreted as conferring a right to uninterrupted internet access as essential for exercising this freedom.

Yet, over the last fifteen years, this extra-legal measure has been a favoured