Photographer Shahidul Alam, freed from Israel, to arrive in Dhaka Saturday

Yunus has thanked Turkish president for facilitating the activist’s release from Israel

Renowned Bangladeshi photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam, who was released by Israeli authorities, is set to arrive in Dhaka on Saturday morning.

The Chief Advisor’s Office (CAO) said in a statement on Friday night that his flight is due to land in the capital at 4:55am.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Turkey Md Amanur Rahman said the flight is scheduled to leave Istanbul at 6:45pm local time on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Shahidul arrived in Istanbul from Israel on a Turkish Airlines flight around 2:30pm local time.

He was welcomed by Bangladesh Consul General Muhammad Mizanur Rahman.

CAO released photos and a video showing Shahidul holding Bangladesh’s national flag in Istanbul and shouting slogans in support of Palestinian freedom.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his support in securing Shahidul’s release and facilitating his safe transfer from Israel.

Shahidul had been on board a ship named “Conscience”, which was part of the Freedom Flotilla bound for Gaza.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces seized the vessels and detained those on board, including journalists and rights activists.

Shahidul and others were taken to an Israeli prison. The Bangladesh government condemned the action in strong terms.

Following his detention, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry began engaging with its embassies in Jordan, Egypt and Turkey.

With support from the Turkish government, Shahidul was eventually freed and allowed to leave Israel.