Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin sued for libel in Sweden
The foreign Bangladeshi author Anisur Rahman submitted the case to the Swedish police on Tuesday and also referred to accusations of personal assault, occupational injury and libel.
Taslima, who currently resides in India, said she was not aware of the case, but she did not lie in her controversial article.
An article entitled “Nakal Dunia” (A Fake World), published by a Bangladeshi website in 2017, criticized several people, including Anisur and Arne Ruth, former editor-in-chief of Dagens Nyheter.
Taslima’s article hit the spotlight again on social media after Anisur wrote to several anonymous foreign writers and bloggers recently in one of his articles.
Anisur claimed that several bloggers and online activists from different countries attacked him personally with reference to the article written by Taslima.
In this context, he initiated the case against Taslima to try to solve the problem and compensate.
Anisur, a member of Bangla Academy, has lived in Sweden with his family for more than a decade. He was elected as a member of the Swedish Writers’ Association 2018.
His poems and essays were translated into different languages. His plays are taught at some universities in Africa, Asia and Europe and have been staged in Norway and Sweden. His two plays are part of the curriculum for the drama and drama department at Jahangirnagar University.
In response to a question about the delay in filing the case, Anisur said he wanted to protest against “lying and protect himself from professional harm” even though it was late.
“I have been thinking about going public with the protest since the article was published but I have not had time. Dealing with the legal issues and discussing the issue with my friends also took time. I had to inform my workplace as well.”
Taslima was forced to leave Bangladesh in 1994 after protests against her over allegations of harming religious feelings through some of her writings.
She said her views in “Nakal Dunia” will remain unchanged.
In response to an email request from bdnews24.com for comment, Taslima said: “What I wrote is true. I do not lie in my writing. I can not lie. I have heard about the case for the first time If a liar submits a case, it will help to expose the person’s falsehood a little more. ”
“You will be able to read the article online. If an unknown person would like to gain fame by suing me, do not let them do it.”