[spectre] Dr. Shahidul Alam Detained - Appeal for his Release #FreeShahidulAlam

[Eric Kluitenberg]

Dear Spectrites,

Very disturbing news has just come in about the arrest of our friend, media-activist, curator, photographer, long time colleague Shahidul Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

We demand the immediate release of Shahidul Alam and condemn the disproportionate violence apparently exercised during his arrest.

Concerned,
Eric

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Dr. Shahidul Alam Detained - Appeal for his Release #FreeShahidulAlam

Dr. Shahidul Alam, internationally renowned photographer, activist, founder and Managing Director of the Bangladesh multimedia company, Drik, founder of Chobi Mela International Photography Festival and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, was forcibly abducted from his home on the night of 5 August. 

The next day he appeared in court, apparently so badly beaten that he was unable to walk on his own. Sources say Shahidul is being charged under Bangladesh’s ICT law for his reports on Facebook of ongoing student protests and for an interview he gave to Al Jazeera about the protests. 

Shahidul has been a close friend and inspiring partner of the Prince Claus Fund for many years. He is a tireless advocate of values that we share:  that all people should have the right to freedom of cultural expression. Through his reporting and photography he has discovered and shared hidden human stories not only in Bangladesh but of the many other cultures encountered on his travels.  

The Prince Claus Fund and its Network Partners deplore the extreme violence and intimidation exercised in Shahidul’s arrest, 

We call for his immediate and unconditional release. #FreeShahidulAlam

On behalf of the Prince Claus Fund, Joumana El Zein Khoury, Director 

Network Partners of the Prince Claus Fund: 

Alliance des Editeurs Independants – IAIP, international

Alta Tecnologia Andina, Peru

Arab Image Foundation, Lebanon

Archi Africa, Ghana + Africa

Associación Pro Arte y Cultura (APAC), Bolivia

BizArt Art Center, China

Caribbean Contemporary Art (CCA)

Cinematheque de Tanger, Marocco

Compagnie Falinga, Burkina Faso

Creating Independent and Artistic Networks, Argentina (CRIA)

Despina Non-Profit Cultural Association, Brazil

Dokufest – International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Kosovo

Dox Box, Syria

Drik Picture Library Ltd., Bangladesh

Hri Institute, Nepal

Jant-Bi, Senegal

Kibii Foundation, Surinam

Land Art Mongolia

Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA), Kenya

Museo d Antioquia, Colombia

Tirana Institute of Contemporary Art (T.I.C.A.), Albania

Redsea Cultural Foundation, Somaliland

Reyum Institute of Arts and Culture, Cambodia

San Art, Vietnam

Studios Kabako, Democratic Republic of Congo

Supersudaca, Latin America

Triangle Arts Trust (TAT), UK

University Centre for Arts and Drama, Ingoma Nshya, Rwanda

Utan Kayu Network, Indonesia

VideoBrazil, Brazil

Visual Culture Research Centre – VCRC, Ukraine

Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIF), Tanzania


Sources:

https://princeclausfund.org/news/shahidul-alam-detained-appeal-for-his-release

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/bangladesh-renowned-photographer-detained-media-comments-180806065359943.html

http://shahidulnews.com 

http://drik.net