A dozen prominent figures from around the world, including rights activist Arundhati Roy, have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam, who was allegedly detained by Israeli forces while travelling to Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla. Drik, the independent media organisation founded by Shahidul, published the statement issued by his friends and family at 9am on Thursday. Drik reported that Israeli forces seized a total of eight ships, including the Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience, at 6am Palestinian time (8am Bangladesh time) on Wednesday. In previous attempts, more than 40 ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla fleet sought to break the blockade and enter Gaza. Another flotilla of 11 ships, organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza, set sail for Gaza on Oct 1.
