Dhaka, Aug 28 – Tulip Siddiq, a British member of parliament and niece of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has urged her aunt to release photojournalist Shahidul Alam, according to a report run by a United Kingdom daily, The Times. Tulip, daughter of Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana, said that the detention was “deeply distressing and should end immediately”, says the report.
Bangladesh “must uphold international standards of justice in treating its own citizens”, Tulip, a Labour Party lawmaker from a London constituency, was quoted as saying.
“I would hope our Foreign Office will convey that message in stark terms to a country that is seen as a close ally,” she added.
Tulip joins many artists, Nobel laureates, rights activists, academics and politicians across the globe condemning the arrest and demanding his release.
Shahidul Alam was arrested on August 5 under section 57 of the ICT Act in the midst of students’ movement for safer roads.
Despite repeated attempts, prime minister’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim could not be reached for comments regarding Tulip’s call for Shahidul’s release. –Staff Reporter
