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A Sweden-based poet and playwright has sued Taslima Nasrin, a self-exiled Bangladeshi writer, charging her with circulating false information against him on social media.
Bangladeshi expatriate writer Anisur Rahman filed the case with Swedish police on Tuesday, also citing allegations of personal attack, professional harm and defamation, reports bdnews24.com.
Taslima, who currently resides in India, said she was not aware of the case, but she did not lie in her controversial article.
A write-up titled “Nakal Dunia” (A Fake World), published by a Bangladeshi website in 2017, criticised several people, including Anisur and Arne Ruth, former editor-in-chief of Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
Taslima's article grabbed the limelight again on social media after Anisur wrote against several anonymous expatriate writers and bloggers recently in one of his articles.
Anisur alleged that several bloggers and online activists from different countries attacked him personally referring to the article written by Taslima.
In this context, he started the case against Taslima, seeking to redress the issue and compensation.
Anisur, a member of Bangla Academy, has been living in Sweden with his family for more than a decade. He was elected as a member of the Swedish Writers' Union in 2018.
His poems and essays were translated into different languages. His plays are taught in some universities in Africa, Asia and Europe and were staged in Norway and Sweden. His two plays are included in the syllabus of the Drama and Dramatics Department at Jahangirnagar University.
Responding to a question about the delay in the filing of the case, Anisur said he wanted to protest the “lie and protect himself against professional harm” even if it was late.
"I have been thinking of going public with the protest since the article was published but couldn't make time. Dealing with the legal affairs 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 hurting religious sentiments through some of her writings.
She said her views in “Nakal Dunia” will remain unchanged.
Responding to an emailed request from bdnews24.com for comment, Taslima said, "What I wrote is true. I don't tell a lie in my writing. I can't tell a lie. I have heard about the case for the first time. If a liar files a case, it will contribute to exposing the person's falsehood a bit more.”
"You will be able to read the article online. If an unknown person would like to gain fame by filing a case against me, please don't let them do so."