BD photographer detained during protests gets bail

DHAKA: Award-winning Bangladeshi photographer-activist Shahidul Alam was granted bail on Thursday after spending more than 100 days behind bars in a closely watched freedom of speech case.

However it was not clear if the 63-year-old would be freed immediately, his lawyers said, as bail orders take time to execute and prosecutors could urgently appeal the decision in a higher court.

"We hope his ordeal ends here", Alam’s lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua told AFP. The photographer had unsuccessfully applied for bail four times since being arrested in August for making what Bangladesh authorities called "false" and "provocative" statements.

Alam, whose work has appeared widely in global media and who founded the renowned Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, faces a maximum 14 years in jail if convicted.

The internationally respected photographer said he was beaten so badly in custody he needed to wash his tunic to get the blood out. His arrest triggered international protests, with rights groups, UN rights experts, Nobel laureates and hundreds of academics calling for his release. Lawyers have argued Alam’s continued detention was "a clear violation" of his fundamental rights under Bangladesh’s constitution.