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A provision requiring prior court approval before arresting journalists over published or broadcast news has been proposed in the draft Cyber Security (Amendment) Act, 2026.
The proposal also covers media owners and other responsible persons associated with media organisations.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the cabinet committee formed to review and finalise the draft law at the Posts and Telecommunications Division in Dhaka on Wednesday.
The meeting was chaired by Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam were also present.
The meeting reached an in-principle consensus on including the provision to protect journalists and media freedom and prevent the law from being used as a tool for harassment.
Participants also discussed clarifying the definitions of defamation, rumours and misinformation to prevent vague or overly broad provisions from restricting press freedom.
The meeting proposed keeping defamation-related provisions consistent with the Penal Code and treating defamation, humiliation and cyberbullying as separate offences.
Other issues included excluding mobile court provisions from the proposed law, ensuring accountability in content removal or blocking, and notifying affected individuals or organisations of the reasons for such actions.
The meeting also discussed providing media organisations with written notices and opportunities to defend themselves before any action is taken against them.
The revised draft will be further reviewed in light of stakeholder recommendations and published for public consultation before finalisation.
