Freed photojournalist to highlight press freedom struggles in Bangladesh, Thursday

Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam will speak to the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team Thursday, April 11, at 6 p.m., on the state of press freedom in Bangladesh including his arrest last year for speaking to international media about public protests.

All Club members are invited to attend the free event, which will be held in the Cosgrove Lounge. Register online.

Alam was arrested in 2018 by the Bangladeshi government for making “provocative” statements in an interview to Al Jazeera about protests in the country sparked by a bus accident that killed school children. He argued the incident was being used as an opportunity by the public to protest government corruption.

Under pressure from press and human rights groups such as Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Bangladeshi government released Alam on bail after more than 100 days in jail during which he says he was tortured.

The Club has long been concerned about the state of press freedom in Bangladesh as there have been reports of journalists being intimidated and prevented from doing their work independently. In recent years, a number of journalists have also been murdered by Muslim extremists in the country, and the Club has asked the government of Bangladesh to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure journalists are protected.

For more information on the event, contact Ferdous Al-Faruque at [email protected].