The Amnesty International has urged the government to drop the Digital Security Act case against Manabzamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury and 31 others.

Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner Saad Hammadi said the case is a glaring example of how the law is being arbitrarily used against people by influential quarters and state agencies including the police.

“We are alarmed by the vague and overly-broad provisions within the Digital Security Act and the rigorous punishment that they entail for the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression.”

Meanwhile, Dhaka Union of Journalists expressed their concern over the case.

In the statement, DUJ President Quddus Afrad and General Secretary Sajjad Alam Khan Topu demanded immediate withdrawal of the case.

Manabzamin Editor-in-Chief Matiur Rahman Chowdhury and 31 others were sued under the Digital Security Act for allegedly publishing false news and circulating it on social media.