Free Shahidul immediately

UN human rights experts yesterday urged Bangladesh to immediately release photographer Shahidul Alam, who had allegedly been tortured in custody.

“The arrest and alleged ill-treatment of Alam is extremely worrying and takes place in a general context of a crackdown against young students and others calling for better public governance, reforms and justice in Bangladesh, including media workers and other civil society,” said the UN rights experts in a press statement issued in Geneva yesterday.

Also yesterday, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by the government seeking stay on a High Court order that directed the authorities concerned to send the detained photographer to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for treatment and medical check-up.

The UN expert statement said, “We urge the relevant authorities to immediately release Alam and to take effective measures to have all allegations of torture investigated promptly, effectively and impartially. We also urge them to ensure a safe and enabling environment for media workers.”

The statement added he was arrested at his flat on August 5, hours after a news outlet released an interview with him on the student demonstrations.

A Dhaka court on August 6 placed him on a seven-day remand in a case filed under the controversial Section 57 of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Act accusing him of spreading propaganda and false information against the government.

He told the court that he was tortured in custody. Police refuted the allegation.

A Dhaka court on Sunday sent him to jail, said police.

The experts who signed the UN statement include Michel Forst, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; David Kaye, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and Seong-Phil Hong, chair-rapporteur of the working group on arbitrary detention.

In yesterday's Supreme Court hearing, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order as the High Court directive had already been implemented.

On August 7, following a writ petition, the HC directed the authorities to send the noted photographer to BSMMU for treatment. The court also asked BSMMU authorities to examine his health condition and submit a medical report to the HC.

The government submitted a petition to the SC seeking a stay on the HC order the following day.

Law enforcers sent him to BSMMU for treatment and medical check-up the same day.

During yesterday's hearing, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the SC that the government has already sent him to BSMMU.

The writ petitioner's lawyer Sara Hossain told the apex court that the The HC on August 9 directed the home secretary to make arrangements for examining whether the photographer was tortured in custody and to submit a report to this effect before the lower court concerned, but the HC directive was not complied with.

The SC told her that she could place the matter before the HC.

FAMILY MEETS SHAHIDUL IN JAIL

His wife, elder sister and two officials of Drik Gallery met him at Dhaka's Keraniganj Central Jail yesterday afternoon.

Quoting him, his wife Prof Rahnuma Ahmed told The Daily Star that police on Sunday took him to the court premises, but did not produce him before a court.

Shahidul told her that he was taken to jail around 6:00pm on Sunday.

Rahnuma said they talked to him around six minutes.

He also told her that medical examinations were conducted as per the HC order.