ITANAGAR, Aug 9: Protesting the arrest of world-renowned photojournalist Shahidul Alam in Bangladesh capital Dhaka on 5 August, the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) on Thursday demanded Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina’s intervention in the matter.
In a representation to Hasina, the IJU appealed for immediate release of Alam, and also withdrawal of the cases under the Information and Communication Technology Act against more than 20 journalists for doing their duty of reporting news.
Alam was apparently arrested for publishing his photos of the ongoing student agitation in Bangladesh on social media and in several publications world over, and is being reportedly charged under the Information and Communication Technology Act, which is being used to gag the media in the country.
“It seemed the authorities were incensed over his comments unpalatable to them in his social media posts and in an interview to Al Jazeera news channel on the agitation,” stated the union.
“The working journalists, particularly the photojournalists in India and all over the world, are very much concerned over the arrest of Shahidul Alam and consider it a direct attack on the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press, essential prerequisites in a democracy,” the union said in its representation.
