Is Freedom of Expression Only a Majoritarian Weapon?
By: Mahmudun Nabi
February 16, 2025
The interim government of Bangladesh had promised freedom of expression and protection of minorities since they took over six months ago. However, in the last six months, we have only seen populist mobs promoting their far-right extremist ideologies and preventing others from expressing opinions. The government has been gradually failing to provide public security, especially to protect the freedom of religions and freedom of expression of all people. Only in February did several alarming incidents take place at the annual book fair in Dhaka. All of them raise concern for everyone who does not want to align with such ideologies.
Publisher attacked on 10th February:
The publication Sabyasachi Prakashani, which publishes a renowned author in the country known for her feminist works, faced an attack on their book stall at the annual Book Fair. A group of agitators on the 10th of February arrived at Sabyasachi Prakashani and started yelling at the stall. They demanded to know why Taslima Nasreen's book was there. A moment after, the crowd attacked publisher Shatabdi Bhava. They threw away Taslima's book, according to the witnesses. With police intervention, the publisher was escorted out of the fair, where he was also compelled to apologize publicly. Following the incident, the stall was temporarily shut down.
Taslima Nasreen, who has been in exile since 1994 and became a Swedish citizen. Currently, she is living in India. Early in her literary career, Nasrin wrote mainly poetry and published half a dozen collections of poetry between 1982 and 1993, often with oppression against women as a theme and often containing very graphic language.[13] She started publishing prose in the late 1980s and produced three collections of essays and four novels before the publication of her documentary novel Lajja (Bengali: লজ্জা, romanized: Lôjja, lit. 'Shame'), in which a Hindu family was being attacked by Muslim fanatics and decided to leave the country.
Poet arrested on February 13th:
A poet and essayist, Sohel Hasan Galib was arrested by Bangladesh Police on February 13th on charges of hurting the religious sentiments. His bail application was rejected, and he was granted a 7-day interrogation request by the police. The police told the press that Sohel Hasan Galib made the alleged derogatory comments on Prophet Muhammad in a poem of his collection of poems titled ‘Amar Khutbaguli’. Galib’s new literary work titled Amar Khutbaguli, published by publishing house Ujan, was made available at the annual Book Fair in Dhaka. Ujan’s stall at the Suhrwardy Udyan ground of the fair was temporarily closed after the arrest.
Removal of Sanitary Napkin Stall on February 16th:
Bangla Academy has closed two stalls at the annual Book Fair due to the sale of sanitary napkins for women's health. The two stalls were closed on Sunday afternoon. The fair authorities informed the press that they decided to close the two stalls for selling unauthorized products at the book fair. They also stated that the book fair policy only permits the sale of books and food. However, a letter to the stall owner from Bangla Academy on the 14th states concerns from “Islamist groups.” The manufacturer of "Stay-Safe" said that the napkins were not being sold at the fair. The stalls were giving them away free of charge.
All of these incidents are collectively revealing a disturbing pattern. The Bangladesh government is clearly failing its duty to protect freedom of expression and uphold the promised democratic values. Though the government promised to promote diverse ideas and promote freedom of expression, in reality the authorities are either complicit in or indifferent to the suppression of free speech. This indifference is allowing mobs to intimidate publishers and writers for their writings. Every time a critical situation occurs, they are bowing to pressure from extremist groups. This way, the government is enabling a culture of fear and censorship. Aside from undermining the country’s democratic foundations, this also puts its citizens who want to express their thoughts at risk.
If Bangladesh wants to remain a society where creativity and progress can thrive, the government must take decisive action to protect freedom of expression. This includes holding perpetrators of violence accountable, reforming laws that criminalize free speech, and standing firm against extremist pressures. Without such measures, the space for free expression will continue to shrink, and the voices of writers, poets, and activists will be silenced, leaving little room for the country’s intellectual and social progress.
References:
1. Two stalls closed at book fair for selling sanitary napkins Special Representative Dhaka - Prothom Alo, 16th February, 2025. ( https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/gbvxe9plnb)
2. Poet, essayist Sohel Hasan Galib arrested, sent to jail, Staff Correspondent, New Age 14 February, 2025 (https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/257945/poet-essayist-sohel-hasan-galib-arrested-sent-to-jail)
3. Tension erupts at Boi Mela over Taslima Nasreen’s book, UNB news, February 10, 2025 (https://unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/tension-erupts-at-boi-mela-over-taslima-nasreens-book/153201)