Bangladesh: Dismissal of court case against Shahidul Alam is welcome, but more progress needed on freedom of expression

Responding to the decision by the Bangladesh High Court to dismiss the case filed in 2018 under the draconian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act against photographer, social activist and Amnesty Prisoner of Conscience, Shahidul Alam, Amnesty International’s South Asia Research Director, Isabelle Lassee, said:

“This outcome for Shahidul Alam was long overdue. Alam, whom we recognized to be a Prisoner of Conscience while detained, should never have been arrested on charges under the Information and Communication Technology Act in the first place. He was targeted solely for criticizing the Bangladeshi authorities’ excessive use of force and crackdown on students protesting for safer roads back in 2018.

“His case was emblematic of a broader trend which has seen Bangladeshi authorities weaponize legislation such as the ICT Act, repealed in 2018, as well as the the Digital Security Act (DSA) and the Cyber Security Act (CSA) replaced by the Cyber Security Ordinance in May 2025, to suppress freedom of expression, particularly targeting government critics.”