Written By Subinoy Mustofi Eron
Ishtiyak Ahmad Zihad’s Whispers of the Ink, shot in harsh, evocative black and white, illustrates the catastrophic consequences of the internet shutdowns during the July and August 2024 Bangladesh protests that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government. It demonstrates the tangible and significant effects of digital rights violations on people’s lives.
The film points out the importance of the internet as a tool for communication, protesting, receiving healthcare, and exercising the right to information while also demonstrating the tragic consequences of its violation through the struggles of a married couple. Rashed, an artist who supported the protest on social media with his provocative cartoons, experiences privacy breaches from the authorities, demonstrating how artistic expression can become a liability in an authoritarian regime. Meanwhile, his pregnant wife, Runa, tries to obtain medical care, demonstrating the life-threatening repercussions of cutting off internet-based communication networks. The film also emphasises the importance of digital space in protecting both freedom and human lives by demonstrating how the repression of digital rights leads to real-world misery.
The Days That Shook Bangladesh
In July 2024, Bangladesh experienced a significant mass uprising, spearheaded by students demanding reforms to the government job quota system. Initially focused on specific grievances, the protests escalated into a nationwide movement following severe and violent crackdowns by the government and ruling party in mid-July. Despite the brutal response, the demonstrators remained resolute, intensifying their efforts and garnering broader support nationwide.
To stifle the unrest, the government imposed curfews. It implemented widespread internet disruptions and social media bans from July 17 to August 5. The disruptions varied in form, including partial mobile network shutdowns, throttling, and, at times, complete internet blackouts. The most severe internet blackouts occurred between July 17 and 28, coinciding with heightened violence. During the shutdown and curfew over 200 people lost their lives. While internet shutdowns are not unfamiliar in Bangladesh, this blackout stands out for its devastating consequences, marking a tragic intersection of digital authoritarianism and the loss of civilian lives.
The story parallels real-world events such as the Arab Spring and the Hong Kong protests in which social media acted as both a platform for opposition and a target for official repression. Just as the character Rashed used social media to share his protest artwork, many Bangladeshis relied on these platforms to organise, discuss thoughts, advocate for rights, and show solidarity during the uprising. With mainstream media under state repression, social media has become an important platform for voicing demands and fighting for justice. However, this importance of social media made it a focal focus of state concern and repression, resulting in phone checks on the streets, an inspection of social media accounts, and arrests based on one’s online behaviour.
The Architecture of Suppression: State Control in the Digital Age
The film powerfully portrays the troubling consequences of state-imposed restrictions, which go beyond internet shutdowns. Actions like restricting social media sites and invading citizens’ privacy with street-level mobile phone checks are important story elements. These activities, influenced by real-world events, illustrate the repressive techniques used by Bangladesh security forces during key rallies, such as the pre-election demonstrations in 2023. Random public phone inspections were employed to identify protesters, frequently resulting in physical assault and arbitrary detention—violations that directly contradict the right to privacy guaranteed by Article 43 of Bangladesh’s constitution.
Legal experts and human rights organisations have condemned such actions, describing them as blatant abuses of power. They emphasised that such practices disregard the rule of law and called for accountability from higher police officials.
Even before the protest period, the government had silenced cartoonists and artists for their drawings by enforcing harsh laws like the Cyber Security Act (CSA) and Digital Security Act (DSA) of Bangladesh. The Digital Security Act, enacted in 2018, and its successor, the Cyber Security Act, passed in 2023, have been widely criticised by human rights organisations for their broad, vague provisions that effectively criminalise many forms of online expression. Artists and cartoonists faced jail time for their anti-corruption and anti-government illustrations under these laws, with some facing up to 7 years imprisonment for what authorities deemed “offensive” or “defamatory” content.
In recent protests, the widespread use of arbitrary detention as a tool for silencing dissent became common in Bangladesh. Amnesty International’s South Asia regional director, Smriti Singh, has strongly condemned such practices, describing them as politically motivated actions designed to instil fear and suppress fundamental rights. Reports of mass arrests, with over 9,000 detained during the quota-reform protests and the filing of vague casesimplicating over 2.13 lakh unnamed individuals, highlight the scale of state-led repression. By exploiting legal loopholes, authorities have created a mechanism for indiscriminate targeting of protesters, opposition leaders, and even ordinary citizens, fostering a climate of fear and eroding public trust.
Digital Rights Are Human Rights
Zihad’s film shows how internet shutdowns and privacy violations deeply affect people’s lives, especially during protests. The film tells the emotional story of a couple facing extreme challenges during a political crisis. It highlights how digital spaces are closely tied to real life, showing the importance of access to information and protecting civil rights online. By cutting off the internet and arresting people simply for having protest artworks—violating their privacy—governments do more than silence protests. They block access to emergency services, endanger lives, and deepen inequality and injustice.
