Arundhati Roy, Others Demand Release of Shahidul Alam

Shahidul Alam

Family and friends of Bangladeshi photographer and activist Shahidul Alam have called for his immediate release, along with other humanitarian workers aboard the Conscience and Thousand Madleen vessels, while urging an end to the occupation and ongoing violence in Palestine.

Dozens of prominent figures, including New Delhi-based writer Arundhati Roy, New York-based scholar Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Cape Town playwright Mike van Graan, and Kathmandu journalist Kanak Mani Dixit, have signed a joint statement demanding action.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Shahidul Alam and all 91 media and medical professionals on board the Conscience, who have been illegally detained in international waters by Israel, along with thousands of Palestinians held without trial. The Conscience is part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, sailing the Mediterranean to break Israel’s 18-year blockade of Gaza,” the statement said.

The vessels were carrying journalists and medics, challenging one of the most dangerous press blackouts in modern history. “For nearly two years, international journalists have been barred from Gaza, while hundreds of Palestinian journalists have been targeted, imprisoned, or killed. This boat challenges that silence,” said David Heap of the Canadian Boat to Gaza and Freedom Flotilla Coalition Steering Committee.

“This seizure violates international law and defies the International Court of Justice’s orders requiring unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza. Volunteers on these ships are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction. Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately,” the statement added.

The signatories criticized Israel for acting with impunity, disregarding international law, and ignoring global calls to end the blockade and protect civilians.