Bangladesh government shuts down internet to quell student protests that leave over 100 dead



In the South Asian country of

Bangladesh , clashes between student protesters demanding the abolition of preferential treatment in civil service recruitment and security forces continue, with 118 deaths confirmed at the time of writing. In such a country, the Internet has been shut down under the claim of 'ensuring the safety of the people.'

Mobile internet and social media disrupted in Bangladesh amid student protests
https://therecord.media/bangladesh-mobile-internet-social-media-outages-student-protests



#KeepItOn: Bangladesh's government must restore internet access, ensure connectivity during student protests - Access Now
https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/keepiton-restore-internet-during-student-protests-bangladesh/

At least 17 dead as Bangladesh student protests over jobs intensify | Protests News | Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/18/bangladesh-cuts-mobile-internet-as-student-protests-over-jobs-intensify

In Bangladesh, about a third of civil service recruitment slots are reserved for the families of veterans who fought in the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence , and the students claim that this 'disproportionately favours supporters of the Awami League party, headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who led the independence movement.'

Student demonstrators calling for a meritocratic system clashed violently with police and the Awami League Party on the campus of Dhaka University on July 15, 2024. Following the deaths of six people during protests the following day, the government began indefinitely closing all public and private universities.

However, the flames of rioting have not gone out and are escalating, with protesters and security forces repeatedly clashing in the capital, Dhaka, since July 16, 2024. According to multiple foreign media outlets, security forces have been firing rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters armed with sticks and stones to suppress the protests. However, the clashes have not stopped, and at the time of writing, 118 people have been killed.



According to foreign media The Record, the Bangladeshi students had been organising themselves through social media, and in response to the escalation of the riots, Bangladesh's Deputy Minister of Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said 'an internet shutdown is necessary to ensure the safety of our people.'

In fact, internet monitoring service NetBlocks has reported a sharp decline in traffic volumes in Bangladesh since July 18, 2024, stating that 'measures in response to student protests have limited the public's ability to obtain information.'




Palak further reported, 'Various rumors are circulating on the Internet, and social media is in an unstable state, so the Internet is temporarily shut down. Social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp are also in a state where they cannot be loaded. 'Internet services will be restored once the situation returns to normal,' he said.

Meanwhile, the #KeepItOn Coalition , an organization that opposes internet shutdowns, issued a statement to the Bangladesh government saying, 'Internet shutdowns are not effective in quelling riots. Denying access to critical information and communications platforms will have negative short and long term impacts. The correct official response is to allow the free flow of information and implement a balanced, non-violent and rights-respecting approach.'

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