Advocacy actions

Decades of Israeli occupation and settler colonialism on Palestinian land reached new heights with the recent IDF attacks on Gaza. As per this writing, more than 2,200 Palestinians have died (including 724 children) and more than 1 million Gazans have been ordered to evacuate the north.

In the midst of this grave humanitarian crisis, it is very important to give voice to the opressed through all mediums of expressions, including books and literature. Ironically, the Frankfurt Book Fair —as the biggest annual book fair in the world— has done the opposite. The awarding ceremony for Palestinian author Adania Shibli, whose novel “Minor Details” was to receive 2023 Literaturpreis, was cancelled unilaterally by the Fair, in their decision to “make Jewish and Israeli voices especially visible at the book fair” and to « stand with complete solidarity on the side of Israel ».

This one-sideness is unacceptable, as the Frankfurt Book Fair should be a free and impartial forum to open dialogues and debates without violence. We, publishers from International Alliance of Independent Publishers, condemn the Frankfurt Book Fair’s decision to cancel the award ceremony for Adania Shibli, and demand that Palestinian voices be given the same visibility and respect as other voices at the Fair.

Signatories
This list is not exhaustive (and is updated as and when necessary)

Nouri Abid, Med Ali (Tunisia)
Sandra Abrano, Bandeirola (Brazil)
Tomaz Adour, Vermelho Marinho (Brazil)
Marwan Adwan, Mamdouh Adwan Publishing (Syria-UAE)
Ronny Agustinus, Marjin Kiri (Indonesia)
Cauê Ameni, Autonomia Literária and Jacobin Brazil (Brazil)
Ibrahima Aya, Éditions Tombouctou (Mali)
Clô Barcellos, Libretos (Brazil)
Flávia Bonfim, Movimento Contínuo (Brazil)
Jorge Breogan, Sundermann (Brazil)
Sebastian Budgen, Verso Books (United Kingdom)
Barbara Caretta-Debays, Écosociété (Quebec / Canada)
João Carneiro, Tomo (Brazil)
Chiara Cazzato, Tempesta editore (Italia)
Haroldo Ceravolo, Alameda (Brazil)
Indira Chandrasekhar, Tulika Books (India)
Layla Chaouni, Le Fennec (Morocco)
Reza Chavoshi, Dena books (Netherlands)
Sergio Covelli, EPUBBoo (Italia)
Amanda Crocker, Between the lines (Canada)
Élisabeth Daldoul, elyzad (Tunisia)
Róisín Davis, Haymarket Books (United States)
Héctor Dinsmann, Libros de la Araucaria (Argentina)
Serge Dontchueng Kouam, Presses universitaires d’Afrique (Cameroon)
Éric Dusabimana, Bakame (Rwanda)
Mohamed El-Baaly, Sefsafa Publishing (Egypt)
Fatma El Boudy, Elain Publishing (Egypt)
Yara El-Ghadban, Mémoire d’encrier (Quebec / Canada)
Luiz Fernando Emediato, Geração (Brazil)
Whaner Endo, W4 Editora (Brazil)
Letícia Esteban, Gato Sueco (Spain)
Zygmunt Antoni Filipecki Jr., Mauad (Brazil)
Corinne Fleury, Atelier des nomades (Mauritius / France)
Pedro Fonseca, Âyiné (Brazil)
Fernando Diego Garcia, Libros del Zorro Rojo (Spain)
Germán Gacio Baquiola, Editores independientes de Ecuador (Ecuador)
Pauline Gagnon, Écosociété (Quebec / Canada)
Müge Gursoy Sökmen, Metis Publishers (Turkey)
Daniela Gutfreund, Lugar de ler (Brazil)
Samar Haddad, Atlas Publishing (Syria)
Susan Hawthorne, Spinifex Press (Australia)
Selma Hellal / Sofiane Hadjajd, Editions Barzakh (Algeria)
Colleen Higgs, Modjaji Books (South Africa)
Ivana Jinkings, Boitempo (Brazil)
Hassan Khalil, Al Farabi (Lebanon)
Renate Klein, Spinifex Press (Australia)
Elisa Labanca, Buckfast Edizioni (Italia)
Alessandro Labonia, CSA (Italia)
Daniel Louzada, Da Vinci (Brazil)
Adriana Maciel, Numa (Brazil)
Stella Magliani-Belkacem, La Fabrique (France)
Lizandra Magon, Jandaíra (Brazil)
Alexandre Martins Fontes, WMF Martins Fontes (Brazil)
Maria Beatriz Medina, Banco del livro (Venezuela)
Daniela Mena, GAM (Italia)
Ione Meloni Nassar, Mercuryo Jovem (Brazil)
Raquel Menezes, Oficina Raquel (Brazil)
Ritu Menon, Women Unlimited (India)
Lilah Mercader, Éditions Dent-de-lion (Canada)
Anita Molino, Il leone verde (Italia)
Rosana MontÁlverne, Aletria (Brazil)
Nabil Mroueh, Al Intishar Al Arabi (Lebanon)
Francisca Muñoz Méndez, Editoriales de Chile (Chile)
David Murray, Écosociété (Quebec / Canada)
Renata Nakano, Quindim (Brazil)
Maira Nassif, Relicário (Brazil)
Denise Natale, Papagaio (Brazil)
Carla Oliveira, Orfeu Negro (Portugal)
Maria Osório, Babel (Colombia)
Safaa Ouali, Le Fennec (Morocco)
Marco Paganini, AltreVoci (Italia)
Mary Lou Paris, Terceiro Nome (Brazil)
Simone Paulino, Nós and Nossa (Brazil, France)
Dieulermesson PetitFrère, LEGS Édition (Haiti)
Mirline Pierre, LEGS Édition (Haiti)
Dolores Prades, Instituto Emília (Brazil)
Naiara Raggiotti, Carochinha (Brazil)
Marie Michèle Razafinstlama, Jeunes malgaches (Madagascar)
Anahita Redisiu, Forough Verlag (Germany)
Rodney Saint-Éloi, Mémoire d’encrier (Quebec / Canada)
Kenza Sefrioui, En toutes lettres (Morocco)
Alfonso Serrano, La Oveja Roja (Spain)
Abdulai Sila, Ku Si Mon Editora (Guinea Bissau)
Paulo Slachevsky, LOM ediciones (Chile)
Aliou Sow, Éditions Ganndal (Guinea)
Simón Vásquez, Verso Libros (Spain)
Catia Ventura, Ventura Edizioni (Italia)
Marisol Vera, Editorial Cuarto Propio (Chile)
Miguel Villafuerte, Editorial Blanca (Ecuador)
Cristina Warth, Pallas Editora (Brazil)
Mariana Warth, Pallas Editora (Brazil)
Riccardo Zanello, Tempesta editore (Italia)
Habib Zoghbi, La Maison du livre (Tunisia)
Rosa Maria Zuccherato, Nova Alexandria (Brazil)

In the aftermath of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the invasion of its territory, the International Alliance of Independent Publishers expresses its support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people and cultural professionals and reiterates its commitment to the right of self-determination of each population.

We, independent publishers from over 55 countries around the world, members of an international solidarity network, condemn in the strongest terms the violence committed against the Ukrainian people and call together for a return to peace. We also reaffirm our support for all people on all continents, facing wars and conflicts, fighting for their freedom and emancipation.

We strongly oppose stigmatizing and dehumanizing discourses, and we recall here the essential role of culture, in particular of books, as a tool for dialogue, analysis, understanding and discovery of plurality and diversity.

The Arabic Language Network of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers expresses its strong condemnation of the forced deportation campaign of Palestinians from the « Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood » in East Jerusalem, and the systematic violence and persecution led by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu against Jerusalemites in particular and the Palestinians in general in restoring the « apartheid » policies that the world seeks to overcome.

Read here the entire open letter from the Arabic Language Network of the Alliance.

The International Alliance of independent publishers – representing 750 publishers in 55 countries around the world – calls for the release of Anges Félix N’Dakpri, president of the Association of publishers of Côte d’Ivoire (Assedi)

President of the Association of publishers of Côte d’Ivoire (Assedi) and General commissioner of the Abidjan International Book Fair (SILA), Anges Félix N’Dakpri was kidnapped on October 25 in Abidjan (see press release from several professional associations issued on October 27, 2020).

For some weeks, Côte d’Ivoire has been prey to strong political tensions in the context of the presidential elections.
Several local sources and international medias report arrests and pressure on opposition figures as well as journalists covering the events.

The kidnapping of Anges Félix N’Dakpri by armed men from his home in Abidjan on Sunday, October 25 occurs against a backdrop of violence, threats and restrictions on freedom of expression. According to his relatives, he would be now held at the MACA (Abidjan House of Arrest and Correction).

The International Alliance of independent publishers calls for an end to the arbitrary detention of Anges Félix N’Dakpri and invites professionals from the book industry, medias and human rights associations to relay this call.

Signatories

Members of the International Commitee of Independent Publishers

• Élisabeth DALDOUL, elyzad, Tunisia, coordinator of the French-speaking network
• ASSEM Mawuto Paulin, AGO Média, Togo, vice-coordinator of the French-speaking network
• Jean-Claude NABA, Sankofa & Gurli, Burkina Faso, vice-coordinator of the French-speaking network
• Samar HADDAD, Atlas for Publishing & Distribution, Syria, coordinator of the Arabic-speaking network
• Colleen HIGGS, Modjaji Books, South Africa, coordinator of the English-speaking network
• Ronny AGUSTINUS, Marjin Kiri Publisher, Indonesia, vice-coordinator of the English-speaking network
• Paulo SLACHEVSKY, Lom Ediciones, Chile, coordinator of the Spanish-speaking network
• Carla OLIVEIRA, Orfeu Negro, Portugal, coordinator of the Portuguese-speaking network
• Mariana WARTH, Pallas Editora, Brazil, coordinator of the Portuguese-speaking network

Publishers members of the French-speaking network of the Alliance

• Sulaiman ADEBOWALE, Amalion, Senegal
• Marie-Agathe AMOIKON FAUQUEMBERGUE, Éburnie, Côte d’Ivoire
• Ibrahima AYA, éditions Tombouctou, Mali
• Dominique BAZIN, éditions Dodo vole, Madagascar
• Bichr BENNANI, Tarik éditions, Morocco
• Karim BEN SMAIL, Fédération tunisienne des éditeurs, Tunisia
• Pierre BERTRAND, Couleur Livres, Belgium
• Nadine BESNARD, Cauris Livres, Mali
• Layla CHAOUNI, éditions Le Fennec, Morocco
• Karim CHIKH, éditions Apic, Algeria
• Gilles COLLEU, Vents d’ailleurs, France
• Élodie COMTOIS, Écosociété, Québec, Canada
• Camille DELTOMBE, Les éditions de l’Atelier, France
• Serge D. KOUAM, Presses universitaires d’Afrique, Cameroon
• Mical DREHI LOROUGNON, Édilis, Côte d’Ivoire
• Aline DURIEZ-JABLONKA, éditions Charles Léopold Mayer, France
• Tchotcho Christiane ÉKUÉ, Graines de Pensées, Togo
• Nadia ESSALMI, Yomad, Morocco
• Corinne FLEURY, L’Atelier des Nomades, Mauritius et France
• Sékou FOFANA, éditions Donniya, Mali
• Charlotte GOURE, Les éditions de l’Atelier, France
• Sofiane HADJADJ, barzakh éditions, Algeria
• Selma HELLAL, barzakh éditions, Algeria
• Jutta HEPKE, Vents d’ailleurs, France
• Marie Paule HUET, éditions Ganndal, Guinea
• Yasmîn ISSAKA-COUBAGEAT, Graines de Pensées, Togo
• Karine JOSEPH, Éditions du Sirocco, Morocco
• Hamidou KONATÉ, Éditions Jamana, Mali
• Thérèse KOUDOU, Édilis, Côte d’Ivoire
• Julien LUCCHINI, Les éditions de l’Atelier, France
• Seydou Nourou NDIAYE, éditions Papyrus Afrique, Senegal
• François NKEME, Éditions Proximité, Cameroon
• Sylvie NTSAME, éditions Ntsame, Gabon
• Safaa OUALI, éditions Le Fennec, Morocco
• Dieulermesson PETIT-FRÈRE, LEGS éditions, Haiti
• Mirline PIERRE, LEGS éditions, Haiti
• Isabelle PIVERT, éditions du Sextant, France
• Marie Michèle RAZAFINTSALAMA, Jeunes Malgaches, Madagascar
• Jean RICHARD, éditions d’en bas, Switzerland
• Rodney SAINT-ÉLOI, Mémoire d’encrier, Quebec, Canada
• Kenza SEFRIOUI, En toutes lettres, Morocco
• Aliou SOW, éditions Ganndal, Guinea
• Roger TAVERNIER, éditions Zellige, France
• Samia ZENNADI, éditions Apic, Algeria

Representatives of the Board and the permanent team of the International Alliance of independent publishers

• Laura AUFRÈRE
• Camille CLOAREC
• David ELOY
• Laurence HUGUES
• Georges LORY
• Mariam PELLICER
• Luc PINHAS
• Thierry QUINQUETON
• Mariette ROBBES

In just this past month, three prominent Iranian writers, translators, and members of the Association of Iranian Writers, Bektash Abtin, Kayvan Bazhan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi, and journalist and sociology researcher, Khosrow Sadeghi Boroujeni, have been sentenced to prison on charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and gathering and collusion with the intent of acting against national security.”

These accusations, which have led to long prison sentences and the charges levied are false. Their objectives are to further oppress writers and the people of Iran.
At a time when the world is under crisis by the pandemic, Iran, and especially within its prisons has a very unstable environment, with the increasing spread of Coronavirus among inmates.

We as authors and scholars would like to ask you to let the voices of our fellow authors in prison be heard by the people of the world and to demand their immediate release.

• Daryoush Ashouri, Author, Translator and the Co-founder of the Association of Iranian Writers
• Ervand Abrahamian, Author and Professor Emeritus, City University of New York
• Azar Nafisi, Author
• Faraj Sarkohi, Writer, Journalist, Literature Critic ; A Member of German Pen ; The Recipient of Kurt-Tucholsky-prize ; World Association of Newspapers’ Golden Pen of Freedom Award and World Press Freedom
• Hero by International Press Institute
• Akram Pedramnia, Author, Translator ; A Member of Pen Canada ; the Recipient of James Joyce Foundation Scholar
• Moniro Ravanipour, Author
• Mohsen Yalfani, Author and Translator
• Nasim Khaksar, Author and Critic
• Reza Allamehzadeh, Moviemaker and Writer
• Morad Farhadpour, Author, Translator and Critical Theorist
• Akbar Masoumbaigi, Author, Translator and a Member of the Association of Iranian Writers
• Babak Ahmadi, Author, Translator and Philosophy Researcher
• Peyman Vahabzadeh, Author and Professor, University of Victoria
• Sohrab Behdad, Denison University, USA
• Farshin Kazeminia, Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris 6)
• Amir Kianpour, PhD Candidate, University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis
• Mehran Mostafavi, Sacly University (Paris), Professor
• Iman Ganji, PhD in Art Philosophy and Philosophy Researcher, Free University of Berlin
• Mehrdad Darvishpour, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor, Sociologist, Mälardalen University
• Farhad Nomani, Professor Emeritus of Economics, The American University of Paris
• Soheil Asefi, Journalist and PhD student in History, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York (CUNY)
• Saeed Hariri, Moderator, Toronto Book Club
• Azadeh Parsapour, Translator, Editor and Publisher
• Arash Kia, Faculty of Institute for Healthcare Delivery Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York

“Now that we have entered the 21st century, it is difficult to dissociate the end from the means : what to say, and where to say it ? Thus, we find that many authors seeking to promote debate, creativity and critical thinking, justice and equality are published by large conglomerates with multiple editorial labels. Isn’t the transformative power of these works reduced to nothing when they plunge into the workings of the entertainment industry ? It is a fact that transnational corporations, whatever their field of action, are the very expression of the system that dominates us. By choosing them as publishers, do we not somehow leave the world of transformative ideas in the hands of those who lay the foundations of the model we criticise ? Doesn’t that strengthen the control of big capital over the word and our daily lives ? Moreover, how can we not question the cross-industry investment of the business groups that own publishing houses ? And, are these investments neutral ?”

In this open letter, independent publishers invite all the actors of the book industry to reflect with them on their practices and the impacts that result from them. In particular, they call on authors, academics and intellectuals to work on projects whose vocation is to transform the order of things and not to consolidate the status quo, to publish their works in independent publishing houses in their own countries, and to give preference to independent publishing houses when it comes to transferring foreign and translation rights.

As the world suffers the health, social and economic consequences of the pandemic, book ecosystems and independent publishing houses are further weakened and, for some, are trying to survive. If solidarity between creators and book professionals is one of the foundations of bibliodiversity, this solidarity is vital in the current context.

Read the letter here.
This letter is also available in Spanish, French, Arabic and Portuguese.

To be an independent publisher is to question the world, to help make sense of it, today and tomorrow

At a time when every country in the world is affected by the pandemic, we, as independent publishers around the world, are experiencing diverse health, social and economic situations. We are facing different realities, in different timeframes : immediate risks for some sections of the population (India, Madagascar, Indonesia...) ; a pandemic that strikes in contexts of already established political crisis (Haiti, Egypt, Syria...) ; the near absence or delayed implementation of public book policies (Cameroon, Gabon...) ; the resilience of independent publishing houses in the face of big corporations (Australia...).... While our contexts are diverse, our concerns remain collective : fragility of independent structures, uncertainty about the future, concern about possible abuses (surveillance society, pressure on employees, online teaching and learning, etc.).

We are in perpetual questioning, trying to understand our world : what to do, how, with whom, at what pace ?
We need time to understand, to comprehend – which we had planned to do by 2021, as well as our “Rethink and Celebrate” Conference. REthink : to remain a conscious and creative actor, to act, in terms of ecology, social and solidarity economy, new approaches to readers, cooperative practices between professionals, freedom of publishing, fair speech...

Read more below...

See also :
Public book policies website

Digital Lab

Read the text in Arabic :

The International Alliance of Independent Publishers and publishers from the Spanish-language network pay tribute to the memory of the Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda, who died on 16 April 2020 in Oviedo (Spain) as a result of the Coronavirus, after several weeks in hospital.

The Ibero-American Book Fair in Gijón, organised and directed by Luis Sepúlveda for more than a decade, was the setting for the creation of the first network of Spanish-language independent publishers, and the first meeting of Latin American independent publishers was held in 2000.

As a result, the International Alliance of Independent Publishers and the Association of Independent Publishers of Chile, now Editores de Chile, were formed.

Today we pay tribute to a man of generosity, solidarity and commitment to building a more just and humane world.

• Driven by the growth of independent publishing in Latin American countries.
• Revived by the increase in the number of fairs and meetings where creative and local editorial production are showcased.
• Encouraged by the ways in which some public reading and book policies are supporting local intellectual production and bibliodiversity.

Convened in Santiago de Chile on the 1st, 2^nd and 3rd of October 2019, during the Spring of the Book (Primavera del Libro) and the International Conference of Independent Publishers (2019-2021), the Spanish-language network of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers (IAIP) declares :

• Its privileged link with reading, a liberating practice that raises consciousness, stimulates critical thinking, nourishes the mind ; and with the book, a fundamental support of creation, knowledge and thought, pillar of culture and cultural diversity.

• Its concern about the increasing merger of the book chain, which translates into the marginalisation of local production in bookstores, particularly that of independent publishers ; dominates the media, obscuring blocking creation and critical editorial production ; and excludes small and medium-sized publishers from public procurements of books.

• Its willingness to promote practices, in the world of publishing, that enable a rich and diverse book ecosystem, that stimulates local intellectual production, translation, and balanced exchanges of books amongst Spanish-speaking countries ; strengthens independent bookstores and their presence in cities and communities ; grows public, academic and school libraries with diverse and inclusive book collections ; reflects bibliodiversity, the cultural diversity in the world of books.

• Its support for public reading and book policies as key drivers of the democratisation of the book in our societies ; as systemic strategies strengthening the potential impact of any decision or action ; and as mechanisms preventing market concentration, for the benefit of national book industries and local production.

And commits towards :

• Strengthening the collective action of independent publishers in favour of bibliodiversity and the participatory development of sound public reading and book policies.

• Amplifying the voice of independent publishing and increasing exchanges with readers, actors of the world of books and culture and public institutions, through studies, manifestos, documents, regional, national, and international meetings, and through a clear commitment towards the communities concerned.

• Promoting the sharing and diversity of reading, education and training in our communities, from a critical perspective, mindful of being part of a world rich in bibliodiversity, which we must protect today more than ever.

• Constantly interrogating our own production processes and dynamics inherent in the publishing world, in order to improve its impacts on our social and natural environment.

• Identifying and analysing the strategies and good practices in our respective countries, to better implement them where they are lacking.

The aim is to strengthen book ecosystems locally by involving all relevant actors, and to promote a book culture in our societies, a necessary condition to escape manipulation and to build democratic societies for critical and committed citizens.

We call on all independent publishers who share these statements to sign this declaration :

• Silvia Aguilera, Lom ediciones, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• German Baquiola, Editorial La Caída and collective of independent publishers of Equator, Equator.
• Nicolas Biebel, Econautas Editorial, Argentina.
• Constanza Brunet, Marea editorial, Argentina.
• Mikel Buldain, Txalaparta, Basque Country.
• Mariela Calcagno, Hacerse de Palabras, Mexico.
• Fabiola Calvo Ocampo, Acracia Proyecto de Investigación Editorial, Colombia.
• Patricia Cocq Muñoz, Cocorocoq Editoras, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Daniela Cortés del Castillo, Loba Ediciones, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Mónica Cumar, Ediciones Columba, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Héctor Dinsmann, Libros de la Araucaria, Argentina.
• Rodrigo Fuentes-Díaz, Edición Digital s.a., Editores de Chile, Chile.
• José Gabriel Feres, Virtual Ediciones, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Gustavo Mauricio García, Ícono editorial and president of the Colombian Network of Independent Publishers.
• Catalina González, Luna libros and the collective La Diligencia, Colombia.
• Teresa Gottlieb, Editorial Maitri, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Victor Hugo de la Fuente, Editorial Aún Creemos en los Sueños, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Guido Indij, la marca editora, Argentina.
• Eduardo Lira, Escrito con Tiza, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• María Eugenia Lorenzini, Editorial Forja, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Marcelo Mendoza, Mandrágora, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Lucía Moscoso Rivera, Mecánica Giratoria, Ecuador.
• Pablo Moya, Ediciones el Milagro and Mexican Alliance of Independent Publishers Alliance, Mexico.
• Francisca Muñoz, general manager at Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Daniela Navarro, Ediciones Ekaré Sur, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Mabel Andrea Rivera Pavez, Ediciones Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Eduardo Ruiz-Tagle Eyzaguirre, Editorial Rapanui Press, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Luis Daniel Rocca, Taller de edición Rocca and Colombian Network of Independent Publishers.
• Juan Carlos Sáez, JC Sáez editor, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Leonel Sagahón and Jerónimo Repoll, Editorial Tintable, Mexico.
• Alfonso Serrano, La Oveja Roja, Spain.
• Javier Sepúlveda, e-books Patagonia and president of Association Editores de Chile.
• Paulo Slachevsky, Lom ediciones, Editores de Chile, Coordinator RedH AIEI, Chile.
• Mónica Tejos, Simplemente editores, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• María José Thomas, Ocho Libros editores, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Max Valdés Avilés, Vicio Impune Editorial, Editores de Chile, Chile.
• Carlos Vela, Editorial Pesopluma and collective of independent publishers of Peru, Peru.
• Marisol Vera, Editorial Cuarto Proprio, Editores de Chile, Chile.

To sign the “Declaration of Santiago de Chile on independent publishing serving communities and diversity”, please contact the Alliance’ team.

STATEMENT
August 8, 2018

The International Alliance of Independent Publishers (IAIP), a network of 553 publishers worldwide, expresses its shock and dismay at the late-night abduction and detention of acclaimed photographer and human rights activist, Shahidul Alam, in Dhaka. Shahidul Alam has been a partner-colleague of the IAIP, in which context we have interacted with him on many occasions.

We believe that the charges against him under Section 57 of the ICT are an attempt to intimidate him by using a draconian law to stifle his right to free speech. He has been held without due legal process, and we have received disturbing reports of brutal treatment meted out to him in detention.

The right of peaceful protest, and the defence of that right, are fundamental to democracy and to upholding the rule of law. The IAIP extends its support to, and expresses solidarity with, Shahidul Alam, and reiterates its commitment to the freedom of expression in Bangladesh as well as in the rest of the world.

See here the film make by New Internationalist (UK) in support with Shahidul Alam.