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Renowned Bangladeshi Photographer Granted Bail After Political Arrest

HeadlineNov 16, 2018

In more news from Bangladesh, jailed photographer Shahidul Alam was granted bail Thursday after more than 100 days behind bars. The renowned photographer and activist was arrested in August on suspicion of engaging in “propaganda and false information,” after giving an interview to Al Jazeera about student protests in Bangladesh.

Shahidul Alam: “This has been going on for a very, very long time. It’s nonelected government, so they did not really have a mandate to rule, but they’ve been taking it on by brute force—the looting of the banks, the gagging of the media, you mentioned just now that mobile internet is currently switched off, the extrajudicial killings, the disappearances, the need to get protection money at all levels, bribery at all levels, corruption in education. It’s a never-ending list.”

Press freedom and humans rights groups have called out the Bangladeshi government’s crackdown on journalists. Dozens of journalists and hundreds of bloggers were prosecuted last year for publishing content deemed to be blasphemous or defamatory.

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