Mensenrechtenactivist en fotograaf Shahidul Alam (63) is op 5 augustus opgepakt door de overheid van zijn land Bangladesh. Reden is dat hij in een interview voor Al Jazeera zich als reactie op de studentenprotesten kritisch uitliet. En de corruptie in zijn land laakte. Hij zou volgens eigen zeggen in gevangenschap gemarteld zijn. Amnesty International en internationale kunstenaars vragen om zijn vrijlating. Op de FB-pagina FreeShahidul is het laatste nieuws te lezen over deze kwestie. Tekenen van een change.org petitie kan hier.
Foto: Schermafbeelding van FB-pagina , 20 augustus 2018.
George Knight 
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On March 4, 2019, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police revoked permission for the Man Booker Prize-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy to stage her upcoming talk with Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam. The talk, called “Utmost Everything,” was scheduled as part of the tenth edition of Chobi Mela, the most important and prestigious photography festival in Asia, which opened on February 28. However, at the request of local police, the event was forced to relocate to another venue with just one day’s advance notice, leaving many questioning if Roy’s activism in support civil society issues, or Alam’s recent political arrest, were the underlying causes.
https://hyperallergic.com/488110/shahidul-alam-discussion-at-photo-festival-threatened-by-bangladeshi-government-censorship/
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Last year, when the Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam was jailed by his government, his case became a cause célèbre, sparking protests, drawing attention to the parlous political situation in Bangladesh, and becoming a symbol of the fight for freedom of speech internationally. But while he is recognized as a powerhouse in photography circles, for more than a few observers (including myself), the uproar was their first exposure to his work.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/shahidul-alam-interview-1510627
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