‘Israeli soldiers entered cells with machine guns’: Shahidul Alam recounts horrors of secret prison

Renowned photographer and activist Shahidul Alam recounted his harrowing experience of being held captive by Israeli forces, describing intense psychological torture and efforts to instill terror in the secret prison where he was detained.

He said a fellow detainee, accused of supporting Hamas, was threatened with execution by shooting.

Shahidul Alam shared these details at a press conference held Saturday afternoon at Drik Path Bhaban in Dhaka. He returned home early Saturday morning after being released from Israeli custody.

Alam said they endured various forms of abuse after being taken off the ship, but psychological torment was the most severe. He recounted, "Where we were made to kneel with hands tied behind our backs, the Israeli forces had urinated beforehand. Then they threw away my Bangladeshi passport. Every time I picked it up, they attacked me. When we spoke among ourselves, they beat two other companions with machine gun barrels."

He added that they were kept in Israel's most secretive prison in the desert. A fellow detainee told him that upon capture, the Israelis said, "You are a Hamas agent; we will take you inside and shoot you."

Alam revealed that they went on a hunger strike in the prison, refusing food. However, due to physical weakness, some ate. They were given only one plate of food over 2.5 days. The sleeping area was made of iron, and the toilets were in deplorable condition. He further said, "Late at night, Israeli forces suddenly entered the cells with machine guns. They shouted loudly, gave orders to stand or otherwise, and tried to create terror."

When a journalist asked about future plans, Alam said, "Because extraordinary individuals came together, we decided to build an international network. Since global leaders won't act, we activists are preparing for that fight. We have a blueprint and decided before returning that we will go again, and 1,000 ships will go."

Drik's executive director added, "What we did in July uprising—taking to the streets and ousting a dictator—we need something like that internationally."