minent Bangladeshi photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam returned to Dhaka early Saturday after being released from Israeli detention. He had been intercepted at sea by Israeli forces while aboard a Freedom Flotilla carrying medical aid to Gaza.
Alam landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 4:45am on a Turkish Airlines flight. He was welcomed at the VIP gate by his wife and fellow activist Rehnuma Ahmed, National Museum Director General Tanzim Ibn Wahab, photographer Munem Wasif, and officials from Drik and Pathshala.
In an emotional statement upon arrival, Alam said, “The love of the people of Bangladesh made it possible for me to come back. But we must remember that the people of Gaza are still not free. They continue to face brutal attacks and persecution. Our work is not over yet.”
He expressed his gratitude to the governments of Bangladesh and Turkey, acknowledging their diplomatic efforts to secure his release, and thanked Bangladeshis around the world for their solidarity and prayers.
“We need a thousand more flotillas like ours until Palestine is free,” Alam declared, underscoring his commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Shahidul Alam was among a group of international activists—including journalists, physicians, politicians, and human rights defenders—who joined the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a global initiative to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and expose the ongoing humanitarian crisis. After the flotilla was intercepted, Alam and others were taken to Ketziyet prison in Israel.
Following sustained diplomatic engagement, including cooperation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he was released and traveled through Istanbul before returning to Dhaka.
Alam’s return has sparked widespread celebration among human rights activists and cultural figures in Bangladesh, many of whom view his detention as part of the broader suppression of global solidarity with Palestine.
“I was able to go, many were not able to. Thousands more flotillas like ours need to go, until Palestine becomes free,” Alam said.
His return is seen not as the end of a journey but as a renewed call for international solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian people.
