Hindu Activist Rakesh Roy Receives 7-Year Jail [Sylhet, Bangladesh]

Sylhet, Bangladesh: Rakesh Roy, the general secretary of Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote (BJHM), has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a Sylhet Cyber Tribunal judge for an alleged ‘blasphemous’ Facebook post made in 2017. The court also imposed a fine of one lakh Taka on Roy.

The case, filed under the Information and Communication Technology Act (ICT) in 2017, accuses Roy of posting derogatory comments against Islam on Facebook. The complainant, an Islamic extremist named Ahmed Fujayel, alleged that Roy insulted Prophet Muhammad in his social media post.

Rakesh Roy claims innocence, asserting that a man named Abdul Aziz, working to convert Hindus in Zakiganj, orchestrated a plot against him. Roy stated that he had protested against Aziz’s actions, prompting a group to create a fake Facebook account in his name and post offensive comments.

Arrested on June 7, 2017, under section 57 of the ICT Act (now known as the ‘Digital Security Act’), Roy has consistently denied the allegations. In 2017, during a press conference, Sylhet’s Additional Superintendent of Police, Suggayan Chakma, stated that Roy was apprehended from Lalakhal in Jaintiapur upazila.

Rakesh Roy’s counsel, Ishtiaq Ahmed Chaudhary, expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment, announcing plans to appeal to a higher court.

The case has garnered attention and support, with a 2017 petition initiated by Bangladeshi American Sitangshu Guha urging Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to release Roy. Guha claimed that Roy, associated with Krishok League and Jatiyo Hindu Oikko Mahajot, was targeted after objecting to Abdul Aziz’s actions, leading to a conspiracy against him.

Critics argue that Roy’s case highlights the misuse of section 57 of the ICT Act, a provision that was heavily criticized and eventually withdrawn by the government in 2018. However, the subsequent Digital Security Act (DSA), implemented in October 2018, retained similar provisions with increased sanctions. Roy’s conviction is seen as emblematic of the challenges faced by minority communities and the potential for legal measures to be misused against them.