Bangladeshi photographer and activist Shahidul Alam, who was released by Israeli authorities on Friday, was expected to arrive in Dhaka from Istanbul in Turkey early hours today.聽聽
According to a statement issued by the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing on Friday, he was expected to arrive in the capital at about 4:55am.
Quoting Bangladesh ambassador to Turkey M Amanul Haq, the statement said Shahidul鈥檚 return flight to Dhaka was scheduled to depart from Istanbul at 6:45pm Turkish time on Friday.
Earlier, Bangladesh consul general in Istanbul聽 Mohammad Mizanur Rahman received Shahidul on his return from Israel by a Turkish Airlines Flight at about 2:30pm in Turkish time on Friday.
The statement said that following Shahidul鈥檚 detention by Israeli authorities, Bangladesh embassies in Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey were instructed to engage with the respective foreign ministries and take immediate diplomatic measures to secure his release.
Shahidul had been detained by the Israeli military from the vessel Conscience while attempting to break Israel鈥檚 siege and blockade of Gaza.聽聽聽聽聽
A live stream on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition鈥檚 YouTube channel showed that other detained activists had also arrived in Istanbul. However, it could not be known how many detainees have been released.
Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus expressed his gratitude to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his role in facilitating Shahidul鈥檚 release and repatriation from Israel, according to a separate statement issued by the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing on Friday.
Earlier in a Facebook post on Friday, the CA press wing said that efforts were under way to secure the release of Shahidul Alam with support from Turkey.
According to a press release from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the volunteers illegally abducted by the Israeli military from the Conscience and Eight Thousand Madleens sailboats had been transferred to Ketziot Prison in Israel鈥檚 Negev desert.
The release, issued on October 8 stated that lawyers representing the volunteers had been prevented from speaking to all 145 people from 30 countries.
However, some of those they did manage to speak to reported experiencing violent assaults by Israeli soldiers during the illegal seizure of the fleet, it said.
The Israeli military attacked the FFC and TMTG flotilla 120 nautical miles (some 220 km) from Gaza, boarding the Conscience by helicopter and vessels, seizing over $1,10,000 worth of medical and nutritional aid, and detaining all the 145 people on 8 October.
Boats seized include the Abd Elkarim Eid, Alaa Al-Najar, Anas Al-Sharif, Gaza Sunbird, Le茂la Khaled, Milad, Soul of My Soul, Um Saad, and Conscience.
Since then, scholars, writers, and journalists from across the globe had been demanding the immediate release of Shahidul Alam, along with other flotilla activists, detained by the Israeli military.
Between October 2 and 3, the Israeli occupying forces intercepted the 鈥楪lobal Sumud Flotilla,鈥� which was carrying humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza, and detained more than 450 people, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
Later, many of them were released.
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on Thursday through the intervention of US President Donald Trump, who credited Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their initiatives to end the prolonged conflict between Israel and Hamas.