In a democratic society the voice of dissent will not always be pleasant. In many cases, this may be extremely disturbing or contrary to majority ideology. But use of brute force or misuse of power to silence it is not appropriate.
If, in the name of opposing fascism, another form of fascism arises, if a repressive administration disguises past atrocities under a new guise, it will be a profound betrayal of the blood shed by hundreds of thousands of youth in July and August.
The arrest of Sheikh Tasneem Afroz Ami and others is not an isolated incident. They point directly to the fact that the institutional culture of fascism still permeates every corner of our society.
The practice of suppressing the freedom of expression of others and using law enforcement as a shield to prove someone is ‘right’ must be ended immediately, otherwise it will have disastrous consequences for the future of Bangladesh. The government should clarify its stand on this matter.
Abuse of law must be stopped, and lawlessness inside police stations – extrajudicial harassment and public taking law into their own hands must be curbed. Otherwise, the humane and justice-based Bangladesh we have dreamed of may soon turn into a nightmare. The ghosts of fascism past must not, under any circumstances, occupy our sovereign lands, and it is now the duty of the state to prove this. EMI’s unconditional release and rational application of the law could mark the true beginning of this humanitarian transformation.
*Shoikot Amin, Senior Associate Editor, Prothom Alo
*This is the author’s own opinion