Human rights advocates, journalists, and civil society representatives have called for urgent measures, systematic documentation, knowledge sharing, and stronger safeguards for freedom of expression and digital rights.
The calls came from the fourth meeting of the Rapid Response Taskforce (RRT), held in Dhaka, recently. on Saturday. The event was organized by Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment (VOICE) in partnership with The Daily Ittefaq, under the project “Collaborative Actions for Promoting Digital and Civic Space and Combating Gender Disinformation.”
Participants underscored developing robust monitoring and documentation tools for civic space advocacy, strengthening legal support mechanisms, and formulating a refined national strategy to counter disinformation.
Established in 2024, the RRT is a multi-stakeholder platform that includes journalists, digital rights defenders, academics, gender experts, and civil society leaders. It serves as an early-warning and response mechanism to monitor and address civic freedom violations, particularly those affecting freedom of press, expression, association, assembly, and thoughts, among others.
Key participants in the meeting included senior journalist Sultan Mahmud, Nijera Kori representative Sharaban Tohura, and indigenous rights advocate Dalia Chakma.
The session closed with a collective commitment from all stakeholders to protect Bangladesh’s democratic space and strengthen collaboration in defending civic rights nationwide.
