Freedom Flotilla
Israeli forces have taken control of a charity vessel carrying climate activist Greta Thunberg and 11 others that attempted to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The vessel, a British-flagged yacht named Madleen and operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), had planned to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza on Monday, including baby formula and rice, and draw international attention to the humanitarian crisis.

The FFC said on Telegram that the boat was boarded overnight before it could reach shore. Israel’s foreign ministry later confirmed it was under Israeli control.

The ministry described the Madleen as a “selfie yacht” and called the mission a publicity stunt.
A Reader

Deporting Bangladeshis
BanglarManabadhikarSuraksha Mancha (MASUM), a human rights organisation working for decades to monitor the India–Bangladesh border, is deeply disturbed and outraged by a series of verified reports in both national and international media. These reports reveal a grave pattern: residents of West Bengal border regions are being arbitrarily picked up by local police, detained without due process, and then illegally handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF). The BSF, in turn, has reportedly blindfolded these individuals and forcibly pushed them across the border into Bangladesh.

These acts are not only unlawful but also constitute a blatant violation of the Indian Constitution, the country’s criminal justice system, and international human rights treaties to which India is a signatory. The victims are never produced before a court, thereby denying them their fundamental right to legal redress and protection.

Disturbingly, these operations appear to disproportionately target Muslim communities and are being conducted under the joint command of senior police and BSF officials. The timing of these actions—coinciding with the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pahelgam, Kashmir, and the Indian government’s declaration of a “war” against Pakistan—raises serious concerns about collective punishment and communal profiling under the guise of national security. Such barbaric operations are mainly occurring in the states ruled by BJP, like Gujarat, Assam, Orissa, Rajasthan, etc.

Arbitrary detention, forced expulsion, and targeted communal repression have no place in a democratic society. These are not just human rights violations–they are crimes against humanity.

MASUM demands an immediate halt to these illegal operations, an independent judicial inquiry into these grave violations, and the prosecution of all responsible officials, regardless of rank. MASUM urges the National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the judiciary, and the media to take immediate cognisance and act decisively.

Justice must not be a selective privilege–it must be a guaranteed right.

Kirity Roy, Secretary
BanglarManabadhikarSuraksha Mancha
(MASUM) & National Convener (PACTI)
Programme against Custodial Torture & Impunity

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Frontier
Vol 58, No. 1, June 29 - Jul 5, 2025