CU Correspondent
Students for Liberty Bangladesh (SFL Bangladesh) organized a dialogue titled “Digital Rights, State Surveillance and the Protection of Personal Freedom” at the Faculty of Law, University of Chittagong (CU) on Monday (June 22).
The event, held at Gallery-4 of the Law Faculty, was attended by more than 40 first-year law students. The session was part of SFL’s ‘Samvad’ format — a structured dialogue-based learning approach.
The event was organized by SFL Bangladesh Senior Local Coordinator Md. Jihad Ali, with Senior Local Coordinator Anika Anjum serving as co-organizer. The session opened with a welcome address and an overview of the Samvad format’s goals.
The main discussion was facilitated by Mrs. Rashpiatur Rashpi, a lecturer in the Department of Law at CU. She framed digital rights as a modern extension of human rights, drawing on internationally recognized instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
She also examined how digital rights connect to fundamental rights guaranteed under the Bangladesh Constitution — particularly freedom of expression and personal liberty — arguing that meaningful protection of these rights is impossible without securing the digital space.
On the issue of state surveillance, she discussed how unchecked monitoring can undermine citizens’ privacy and freedom of expression. She cited the globally discussed Pegasus spyware as an example of digital surveillance risks and called for Bangladesh to develop a stronger legal and policy framework to protect citizens’ digital rights.
An open discussion followed, where participants raised questions on digital privacy, data protection, online freedom, and the future of digital rights. The speaker responded to each query, analyzing the issues through the lens of law, human rights, and political philosophy.
Organizer Jihad Ali said, “The general understanding of digital rights and personal freedom in Bangladesh is quite different from what it should be. When we routinely violate each other’s basic human rights, digital rights are often seen as a luxury. But we need to recognize how important they are. We also need to make sure that state surveillance does not cross the line into violating our personal privacy. That concern is what led us to organize this dialogue today. Students for Liberty has always worked on issues of personal freedom and rights, and this is a continuation of that work. We plan to hold more such dialogues in the future.”
The session concluded with a brief on SFL’s activities, international network, and its ongoing Local Coordinator (LC) recruitment program.