The arrest of an individual for allegedly posting derogatory remarks about BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on social media is deeply troubling.

We have unfortunately been here throughout our history, with any form of dissent and criticism being brutally shut down. However, we simply cannot hope to move forward as a nation if we keep clinging to retrograde practices that silence dissent and criminalize free speech.

To criminalize opinion, however disagreeable it may seem to some, is to undermine the very foundation of democracy. Arrests of this nature send a chilling message - that the everyday person must not speak ill against those powerful or influential.

This is not the path of a nation that seeks progress or change.

To say that Bangladesh is at a critical junction would be the grossest understatement. We say that we are looking to turn a corner and leave behind a legacy of suppression. Yet, for that to happen, we must encourage openness, accountability, and above all else, tolerance of diverse voices. 

As rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has rightly pointed out, such arrests are unconstitutional and incompatible with democratic norms. It is the duty of the state to protect, not persecute, those who speak freely.

Our aspirations for economic growth, global partnerships, and democratic credibility are all meaningless and ring hollow when citizens remain vulnerable to arbitrary detention for their words.

We must break decisively with our sordid past regarding our intolerance for criticism. Freedom of speech is not a threat but the lifeblood of democracy. A society that fears criticism simply cannot reform itself and a government that punishes speech is not one that can claim to be democratic.