Lawyers, scholars call for immediate release of B'desh journalist

More than 50 lawyers, academics and scholars from various universities across 10 countries have signed a petition addressed to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazad, demanding the immediate release of jailed photo journalist Dr. Shahidul Alam.

The petitioners strongly condemned the detention of Dr. Shahidul Alam, Managing Director of the Drik picture library, since August 5, following an Al Jazeera interview where he had criticized the Bangladeshi government’s response to student protests calling for safer roads.

The petitioners called for the immediate release of Dr. Alam and urged the Dhaka government to drop the charges against him.

In their petition signed in Colombo, they also condemned all forms of human rights violations, repression and arbitrary detentions in Bangladesh, and called on the government to guarantee freedom of expression, assembly and association for all.