Shahidul Alam returns home after release from Israel

Photographer Shahidul Alam has returned home after being released from an Israeli prison.

He arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 4:45 a.m. today, Saturday.

Upon his return, Shahidul Alam said, “It is the love of the people of Bangladesh that made it possible for me to come back. But we must remember that the people of Gaza are still not free. The people of Gaza are still under attack, still being persecuted. Our work is not over yet.”

This statement from Shahidul Alam was posted on the Facebook page of Drik. He expressed his gratitude to the governments of Bangladesh and Turkey for their assistance in his release and return home. He said, “We need thousands more flotillas like ours, until Palestine is free.”

Shahidul Alam said that the struggle would continue until Palestine is liberated.

His wife and human rights activist Rehnuma Ahmed, Tanzim Ibne Wahab, Director General of the National Museum, and photographers and researchers including Munem Wasif, among others, were at the airport to welcome him.

Photos of Shahidul Alam’s return were posted on the Facebook page of Drik, an independent media organisation, at around 7:00 a.m. today.

Rahat Karim, Drik’s Innovation Manager, also confirmed his return.

Pictures of Shahidul Alam’s homecoming were also published on the Facebook page of Pathshala South Asian Media Institute.

Shahidul Alam arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, on a Turkish Airlines flight yesterday, Friday, after his release from Israel. He was received at the Istanbul Airport by Md Mizanur Rahman, Consul General of Bangladesh.

Photographer Shahidul Alam is the Managing Director of Drik, an independent media organisation. He is also an outspoken advocate for civil rights. He was detained by Israeli forces last Wednesday after joining a flotilla bound for Gaza.

The flotilla, organised by a global platform Freedom Flotilla Coalition, set sail for Gaza with the goal of ending Israel’s atrocities in Palestine and breaking the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.

Another initiative, “A Thousand Madelines to Gaza,” launched to protest Israeli aggression, also joined the voyage with eight vessels.

In total, nine ships carried politicians, journalists, doctors, and human rights activists from various countries—including Shahidul Alam.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military attacked the flotilla and detained all activists and crew members.

Later, Shahidul Alam and many others were taken to Israel’s Ketziot Prison. To secure his release, the Government of Bangladesh had been conducting diplomatic efforts through Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey.

Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, expressed his gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his assistance in Shahidul Alam’s release and repatriation from Israel.