" #KeepItOn: Bangladesh’s government must restore internet access, ensure connectivity during student protests", 19 July 2024

a global network of over 300 civil society organizations from 105 countries worldwide working to end internet shutdowns — appeal to you to publicly commit and ensure that the people in Bangladesh have unfettered access to the internet, social media platforms, and other communication channels, to respect people’s rights enshrined in Bangladesh’s Constitution and the country’s international commitments, during the ongoing student protests throughout the country.

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Since early July 2024, student demonstrations across the country, demanding reform to the quota system that reserves more than 50 percent of civil service employment for quota holders, following a verdict of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, have been met with hostility and violence.

Amid these protests, people in Bangladesh are suffering a nationwide internet shutdown since the evening of July 18, 2024. Access to mobile internet was temporarily restricted across the country, and access to social media platforms was blocked in certain areas this past week.

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Disrupting access to the internet and mobile applications — whether by throttling internet bandwidth or imposing complete or partial shutdowns — is costly and harmful to communities and businesses, and violates fundamental freedoms of expression and access to information under Article 39(2) of the Constitution of Bangladesh. While shutdowns can never be justified as proportionate, we are concerned that internet shutdowns do not meet the legality criteria set out in Bangladesh’s Constitution, as the telecom regulator or other government agencies are not explicitly authorised under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, 2001 and other applicable laws to issue shutdown orders.