Sharon Stone, Spivak to join protest for Shahidul’s release

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), PEN America, Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are co-sponsoring a protest in New York tomorrow demanding noted photographer Shahidul Alam’s release from jail.

Actress and activist Sharon Stone, Gayatri Chakravarti Spivak, among others, will attend and speak, along with the sponsors in the protest which is being supported by human rights groups and journalist associations.

Family and friends of Shahidul Alam organised the programme at 5:00pm (US time) at UN headquarters, according to an “event” created on Facebook.

CPJ is hosting a side event at the UN General Assembly on Friday, September 28, from 11:00am to 12:30pm (EDT), and Shahidul's case will be discussed among others.

Shahidul, also founder of Drik Picture Library, was picked up by plainclothes men from his home in the capital's Dhanmondi on August 5.

Police filed the case against him and produced him before a Dhaka court the following day. He was then placed on a seven-day remand.

In court, Shahidul said he was tortured in custody. Police denied the allegation.

On completion of his remand, Shahidul was denied bail and sent to jail by a Dhaka court on August 13.

On September 4, a judge of another HC bench felt “embarrassed” to hear Shahidul's bail petition in the case, and the bench forwarded the appeal to the chief justice for a decision. The bench, however, did not disclose any reason for it.