Bangladesh authorities are facing calls to release a
Rohingya man arrested while photographing the transfer of refugees to a
controversial island camp this week.
Abul Kalam, 35, has
been held since Monday morning when he was reportedly beaten before being taken
to police barracks near the Kutupalong refugee camp, where he has lived since
leaving Myanmar as a child refugee in the early 1990s.
“Photography is not a
crime. Abul Kalam was taking photos of buses on their way to Bhasan Char … it
is by no means a secret and has been extensively covered in the media,” said a
letter calling for his release.
The letter was signed by
Bangladeshi and international rights activists and journalists, including
Bianca Jagger, renowned Bangladesh photographer
Shahidul Alam, who was detained for months after covering protests in
2018, prominent lawyer Sara Hossain and
Prof Penny Green, founder of the International State Crime Initiative at Queen
Mary University of London.
Bangladesh moved up to 1,000 people on Monday in its
second batch of relocations from the Cox’s Bazar-based settlements, which make up the world’s
largest refugee camp, to the isolated island in the Bay of Bengal.
The relocations have
been criticised because Bangladesh has not permitted an independent
assessment of the island’s safety, despite concerns about its vulnerability to
natural disasters.
Two other Rohingya refugees said they had avoided taking
pictures of the relocation because of threats and concerns for their safety.
The UN’s refugee
chief, Filippo Grandi, also raised concerns in December about whether the refugees
were being relocated voluntarily, as Bangladesh claimed, after accusations of
coercion.
A UNHCR
spokesperson said: “UNHCR has been engaged with the authorities since the
arrest of Abul Kalam on 28 December and is following the situation closely to
ensure he receives a fair hearing of any charge against him. UNHCR has assigned
one of its partner lawyers to represent him during the investigation and any
subsequent legal proceedings.”
Earlier this month
Abul Kalam won two awards for his work in the Rohingya Photography Competition.
Article by Kaamil Ahmed - theguardian.com
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