Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam and several other activists detained from the Freedom Flotilla heading toward Gaza have been sent to Ketziot Prison in Israel, according to Drik, citing the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Israeli human rights group Adalah, which works for the Arab minority.
Shahidul Alam, Managing Director of Drik, was part of the flotilla organized to protest Israel’s blockade on Gaza and its ongoing atrocities in Palestine. The coalition, joined by eight vessels from the Thousand Madelines to Gaza initiative, set out toward Gaza carrying politicians, journalists, doctors, and human rights activists from different countries. Israeli forces attacked the convoy on Wednesday and detained all activists and crew members.
In a statement, Drik demanded the immediate release of Shahidul Alam and other humanitarian activists detained from the Conscience and Thousand Madelines vessels, and called for the release of thousands of Palestinians held without trial in Israeli prisons. The statement also urged an end to Israel’s occupation and genocide in Palestine.
Signatories to the statement include Indian author Arundhati Roy, US-based scholar Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, South African playwright Mike van Graan, and Nepali journalist Kunda Dixit, among others.
The statement said that Shahidul Alam was illegally abducted by Israeli forces from the vessel Conscience in international waters, a clear violation of international law. It demanded the release of all 150 humanitarian workers, including 91 journalists and medical personnel, detained from the ship.
The Conscience vessel, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s latest attempt to break Israel’s 18-year siege on Gaza, carried international journalists and medical aid volunteers. Organizers said Israel has created a severe “media blackout” by blocking journalists’ access to Gaza.
The Thousand Madelines to Gaza group said their vessel symbolized resistance to Gaza’s enforced silence and restrictions. They noted that hundreds of Palestinian journalists have been killed, while many remain imprisoned or missing.
Both Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madelines to Gaza demanded an end to Israel’s deadly blockade, cessation of the ongoing genocide, release of all detained volunteers, unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, and accountability for Israel’s attack on the flotilla.
David Heap, a member of Canada Boat to Gaza and the Flotilla Steering Committee, said, “Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers from these ships. Seizing the vessels is a blatant violation of international law. Israel has even defied the International Court of Justice order not to obstruct humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
According to the latest updates from the flotilla organizers, many detainees have been subjected to violence and are being transferred to Ketziot Prison.
The statement accused Israel of operating with impunity, continuing human rights violations and worsening Gaza’s humanitarian crisis by blocking aid deliveries.
Last week, Israel detained 479 people from 42 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla headed to Gaza. Among them was Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Most of those detainees have since been deported in phases.
