Calls for release of man arrested photographing transfer of Rohingyas

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.

Abul kalam Street photography
(@kalamabul408)

Refugee Camp in Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/FYUbWtb3yL

December 10, 2020

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 moves more Rohingyas to remote island despite rights concerns

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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.