dear nettimers,
Shahidul Alam, world renown photographer, media activist, curator, educator and long time tactical media companion (he was a.o. part of Next 5 Minutes 3 in 1999) is still imprisoned in Bangladesh for speaking out against recent student protest crackdowns and arrests on Al Jazeera.
His detention is an outrage and part of a larger pattern of renewed and re-energised authoritarianism, no doubt in part galvanised by ‘trumpism’ and ‘putinism’. No matter where you stand in the political spectrum, this should be actively resisted.
Here is an update of this morning from the #freeshahidulalam campaign.
bests,
Eric
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From: ASM Rezaur Rahman <rezadrik2@gmail.com>
Subject: Gratitude towards friends and well wishers for your solidarity against Shahidul Alam's imprisonment.
Date: 29 August 2018 at 10:49:48 CEST
To: ASM Rezaur Rahman <rezadrik2@gmail.com>
Dear Friends of Shahidul Alam,
In this time of crisis, words of solidarity aided us conserve strength, gather courage. Thank you for extending your support and helping us with the #freeshahidul campaign.
We apologize
for not attending to many of your emails promptly. We hope, you would understand,
what a whirlwind these past few days have been for us.
Photographer
Shahidul Alam is still incarcerated. On August 12, two days before
the end of his remand, without informing his family and legal counsel, they
have transferred him to a Dhaka prison. In the transfer order, the Detective
Branch Investigation Officer accused him of giving "false and harmful
information through al-Jazeera, various electronic media, and facebook timeline
which led to deterioration of the law and order situation in the country, and
created fear and terror in the minds of the public." The transfer order
quotes him at length but does not quote him verbatim; includes grossly
distorted allegations.
On August 14,
we have filed a bail petition, but the court, as many think, intentionally set
the hearing of bail petition on September 11. It means he will be in prison at
least a month. We have filed another petition in high court to advance the bail
hearing date and it has been granted. The hearing is expected to take place
early next week. In an ideal situation, the bail process is long-winding in
Bangladesh. One can only imagine what the process may look like in a legal
mala fide.
We are
providing regular update in this facebook page:
Shahidul have
spoken truth to power and his friends, colleagues, comrades across the world
have stood by him, condemned the abduction style arrest. The people in power
are definitely jolted by it, but they are continuing with judicial harassment
of all kinds.
We, his family
and colleagues, have visited him in prison. He is concerned about the ongoing
arbitrary arrest of student protesters and asked us to keep up the good
fight.
Regards and
solidarity,
A S M Rezaur Rahman
General Manager/Curator
Drik
Curator
Chobi Mela - International Festival of Photography
Faculty
Pathshala South Asian Media Institute
ADDRESS
Operational Office and Drik Gallery@Panthapath
Union Heights, Level 7, 55-2, West Panthapath, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh
(Next to Square Hospital)
Cell: +8801819226294
Drik Gallery I & II
House 58, Road 15 A
Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1209
Bangladesh
