Mr. Arslan returned from his journey of honour

Mr. Mahmut Arslan, President of the HAK-İŞ Trade Union Confederation, returned from journey of honour on 21 May 2026.  Mr. Arslan made a statement at the Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul by emphasizing that the crimes committed by Israeli murderous herds would no longer go unpunished.

Mr. Mahmut Arslan, President of the HAK-İŞ Trade Union Confederation and Mrs. Fatma Zengin, Deputy General Secretary of the HAK-İŞ Confederation together with other human rights activists who have taken active roles in the Global Sumud flotilla, returned from journey of honour and (from) the their solidarity mission. 

Mr. Arslan, Mrs. Zengin, and other activists of the global Sumud flotilla were brought to Istanbul on May 21, 2026 via Turkish Airlines flights as a result of Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts. Mr. Arslan made a statement in front of the the Istanbul Atatürk Airport VIP Lounge Terminal by declaring that those murderers would not get away with what they have done.

Mr. Arslan said, who stated that they had set out to witness firsthand the oppression suffered by the Gaza people and to show solidarity, that they were subjected to inhumane treatment of the zionist Israeli forces during their detention. He told that those murderous hordes did everything that was inhumane. Zionist Israeli units subjected Sumud activists to every form of torture, oppression, and cruelty. But Sumud activists came back even stronger. What these murderous hordes did has only made the Sumud activists more determined. He added that from now on, they would continue the struggle with even greater intensity.

Mr. Arslan made assessments about zionist Israel’s aggressive stance, which has systematically been disregarding international law and violating the fundamental human rights at his press conference at the Istanbul Atatürk Airport VIP Lounge Terminal by attracting attention to barbar Israeli’s humiliating actions to the Sumud activists occurring during the detention process.

Mr. Arslan noted that approximately 500 activists from 70 countries have joined the global Sumud mission to date by underlining that Sumud flotilla has become the collective voice of the global conscience. By emphasizing that the value and effectiveness of the Sumud mission have once again been demonstrated during this process, Mr. Arslan remarked that zionist Israel’s greatest fear was international solidarity.

MR. ARSLAN: SUMUD MEANS HOLDING THE ISRAELI SLAUGHTERERS TO ACCOUNTABLE

Mr. Arslan stated that, although the blockade on Gaza has not been completely lifted, following the Sumud 1 mission, humanitarian aid has been keeping on and significant contributions have been made toward establishing a ceasefire as a result of the Sumud flotilla huge pressure on the Zionist Israeli government. He added those words into his statement: “In this sense, the Sumud movement means future and holding murderous hordes accountable. Sumud also means such a humanity which stands shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people.”

By expressing gratitude to all activists leading the Sumud flotilla structure, Mr. Arslan stated that they thanked everyone participating in the struggle on behalf of the Palestine Support Platform by declaring that “We know well that we have a strong and effective global humanitarian aid organisation. People of conscience from all corners of the world are standing up for the Palestinian cause.”

***Mr. Mahmut Arslan, President of the HAK-İŞ Confederation,  Mrs. Fatma Zengin, Deputy General Secretary of the HAK-İŞ Confederation together with other human rights activists from the Global Sumud flotilla were subjected to an unlawful intervention by zionist Israeli forces in international waters on May 18–19, 2026, and they were forcibly detained.

The flotilla said on last Tuesday that all 50 vessels in its convoy were seized by Israel following attacks in international waters. The flotilla, carrying 428 people from 44 countries, departed last Thursday from Marmaris, Türkiye in its latest attempt to break the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007, which has left much of the population on the brink of starvation.

Those activists, who were taken to the Port of Ashdod by Israeli warships then transferred to Ketziot Prison and held hostage unlawfully for days till intervention of the Turkish Republic diplomatic mission units. Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Hakan Fidan said earlier Thursday that a flight was specially arranged to bring back Turkish citizens and participants from third countries involved in the aid flotilla back to Türkiye. In this regard, 3 Turkish Airlines planes transporting the activists who were detained aboard the flotilla landed at Istanbul Airport on 21 May 2026. The activists were welcomed at the Istanbul Atatürk airport’s VIP Hall by their relatives and numerous officials. Activists who had suffered injuries were taken to ambulances waiting at the airport. Following the reception ceremony, the activists are expected to be taken to the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute for exams as part of an investigation launched by Istanbul prosecutors.