he Freedom Flotilla Coalition has confirmed that Israeli forces intercepted The Conscience, a ship carrying 93 journalists, doctors, and human rights activists headed to Gaza, on Wednesday. Among those on board is Shahidul Alam, the founder of Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, Drik Picture Library, and the founding festival director of Chobi Mela, the International Festival of Photography in Asia.
In a video message Shahidul posted on his Facebook before contact was lost, he shared that Israeli forces had stopped their ship mid-sea, and that he along with others had effectively been detained. The Conscience, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and the Thousand Madelines to Gaza initiatives, was on a humanitarian mission to challenge Israel’s blockade and to stand for press freedom in Gaza.
Video Message from Shahidul Alam: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPinTHFCcwr/?img_index=2
