25 January 2023
A preacher was convicted by a Bangladeshi court after being arrested in 2021 for spreading false information about COVID-19.
The preacher is a cleric in mosque in Dacca and is widely popular. After the outbreak of the pandemic, he publicly made several claims which went viral on online platforms. He argued (i) that COVID-19 side effects could lead to permanent alteration of men and women’s hormones; (ii) that vaccines were used by the state of Israel to spy on the world; and (iii) that he had discovered a formula which could be used to make vaccines at home.
The preacher pleaded guilty in court and was thus sentenced to prison.
