“It’s an act of defiance, an act of resistance, really,” he said in a telephone interview. “We live in a climate of fear which is the very situation where these voices need to be voiced to be able to provide strength to those who are still scared in the situation”

Mr. Alam was released on bail in November after 107 days of imprisonment. But since the charges have not been dropped, he potentially faces 7 to 14 years in prison under a law that lets the government arrest people who criticize it online.

Despite his release, it has been a struggle to put on the festival, which opened this week. All but one of the local corporate sponsors withdrew, while public museums and other venues used in previous festivals became unavailable. But Mr. Alam and his team “improvised and by the skin of our teeth put together a program which has turned out to be the best festival we’ve had,” he said.