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Photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam has returned to Bangladesh after being freed by Israeli authorities following his detention from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on October 8.
He arrived in Dhaka early on Saturday morning from Istanbul after the Turkish government stepped in to secure his release, bdnews24.com reports.
“Thousands more flotillas like ours must set sail until Palestine is free,” Shahidul said after landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
'WORK NOT DONE YET'
Speaking to reporters on arrival, the Drik managing director said the “love of the Bangladeshi people” had made his return possible, while calling for continued efforts to free Palestinians from oppression.
“We must remember that the people of Gaza are not yet free. The people of Gaza are still being attacked and the oppression continues. Until that stops, our work isn't done," he said. We must remember that the people of Gaza are not yet free,” he said.
“I thank everyone -- people across the world, Bangladeshis who responded and prayed, the Bangladesh government and the Turkish government for their help.”
Shahidul had been aboard the vessel "Conscience", part of the Freedom Flotilla, when Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound fleet in international waters on October 8.
He and other activists and journalists were taken into custody in Israel, prompting strong condemnation from the Bangladesh government.
The foreign ministry, through embassies in Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey, initiated diplomatic efforts for his release.
The chief adviser’s office later said that Turkey’s cooperation made his return possible.
Speaking about the movement for a free Palestine, Shahidul said: “I was able to go -- many couldn't. Many people who wanted to go contacted me. Thousands more flotillas like ours must go until Palestine is free."
“Until Palestine is liberated, our struggle will continue.”
He also described feeling insulted after Israeli soldiers threw his Bangladeshi passport on the ground.
“I felt most humiliated when they became angrier upon seeing my Bangladeshi passport and threw it on the ground. We must seek justice for this. A country’s passport cannot be thrown on the ground and its people humiliated like that -- that cannot be accepted.”
Recalling harsh treatment while detained, he said: “We were subjected to ill-treatment and endured a hard time. But that is nothing compared with the suffering of the people of Gaza. Until the people of Gaza are free, our work isn't over.”