Mal? protests in support of former President Mohamed Nasheed
Photos by Shahidul Alam
Protests erupted in Mal??the Maldivian capital as former Former President Mohamed Nasheed attended police headquarters this afternoon (2 Aug, 2012) in response to a summons issued by the Maldives Police Service.
In an earlier exclusive interview with Shahidul Alam of Drik, the former president, expressed his concern about the erosion of democracy and the return of military rule.
Nasheed?s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in a statement on July 31, accused President Mohamed Waheed?s administration of??demonstrating a clear pattern of abuse of power and tactics aimed at removing President Nasheed from the upcoming Presidential race.?
While the MDP had expressed ?extreme concern? for Nasheed?s ?personal safety?, citing previous ?assaults? reports say Nasheed left police headquarters around 5:40 pm, joining more than a thousand cheering supporters.
Nasheed was reported to have been released shortly before Iftar. He was let out through a back exit, away from the gaze of media professionals and supporters waiting outside.
Author: Shahidul Alam
Time Magazine Person of the Year 2018. A photographer, writer, curator and activist, Shahidul Alam obtained a PhD in chemistry before switching to photography. His seminal work “The Struggle for Democracy” contributed to the removal of General Ershad. Former president of the Bangladesh Photographic Society, Alam set up the Drik agency, Chobi Mela festival and Pathshala, South Asian Media Institute, considered one of the finest schools of photography in the world.
Shown in MOMA New York, Centre Georges Pompidou, Royal Albert Hall and Tate Modern, Alam has been guest curator of Whitechapel Gallery, Winterthur Gallery and Musee de Quai Branly. His awards include Mother Jones, Shilpakala Award and Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dali International Festival of Photography.
Speaker at Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Oxford and Cambridge universities, TEDx, POPTech and National Geographic, Alam chaired the international jury of the prestigious World Press Photo contest. Honorary Fellow of Royal Photographic Society, Alam is visiting professor of Sunderland University in UK and advisory board member of National Geographic Society.
John Morris, the former picture editor of Life Magazine describes his book “My journey as a witness”, (listed in “Best Photo Books of 2011” by American Photo), as “The most important book ever written by a photographer.”
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