Cartoonist Kishore hospitalised in Dhaka after release from jail

Cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore is receiving treatment in a hospital in Dhaka after being provisionally released 10 months after his arrest in a case started under the Digital Security Act.

He was taken to the hospital on Thursday evening after the authorities released him on bail from Kashimpur Central Jail-2 around 12:15pm, his brother Ahsan Kabir said.

Kishore has problems in his ears, left leg and eyes, said Ahsan. The cartoonist, a diabetic, did not have the problems before his arrest, according to the brother.

His friends and relatives were waiting outside to receive him when he walked out of the prison in Gazipur. He did not speak to the media.

The High Court granted him six-month bail on Wednesday amid protests over the death of his co-accused, writer Mushtaq Ahmed, in jail on Feb 25. The protesters are demanding repeal of the Digital Security Act.

Mushtaq and Kishore had been denied bail several times. They were charged with propagating disinformation against the government on social media.