The Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court granted the police’s request today (Tuesday, May 5) and extended by six days the detention of two Gaza aid flotilla activists who were abducted by soldiers on the high seas last week. This follows a previous two-day extension of their detention the day before. The two detainees, Thiago Ávila and Saif Abu-Kashk are the only ones among the 175 detainees brought to Israel. The police suspect them of “assisting the enemy in wartime, membership in a terrorist organization, contact with a foreign agent,” and additional offenses, but have not provided information regarding the nature of the charges against them.
Israeli anti-occupation activists demanded the release of the flotilla detainees in a protest held yesterday at the Government Complex in Tel Aviv (Photo: Documentation of Violence and War Crimes)”
Attorneys Lubna Touma and Hadeel Abu Saleh from the Adalah Center, representing Avila and Abu-Kashk, argued again that the activists are being held under harsh conditions. “The authorities threatened to kill them or told them they would spend 100 years in prison to exert psychological pressure,” they stated. “They have been on a hunger strike since Thursday and are held in isolation with bright lights kept on throughout the night. Any connection the state attempts to make between aiding a civilian population and a terrorist organization is denied and contradicts reality. They were arrested over a thousand kilometers from Israel, in international waters, on their way to Greece”. The attorneys added that whenever the activists leave their cells, even for medical examinations, they are completely blindfolded, violating the rules of medical ethics.
On Monday evening, Israeli anti-occupation activists held an “outrage protest” at the Government Complex in Tel Aviv, demanding: “Release the abducted flotilla activists now!”. Organizers stated: “Following the assault and takeover of the Sumud flotilla to Gaza in international waters and a series of severe human rights violations—including reports of beatings and torture—two international activists, Abu-Kashk and Avila, are being held in Israel in violation of international law and under harsh conditions”.
“We will stand at the Government Complex to demand their immediate release and the release of all political prisoners held in Israeli jails! Additionally, we demand that the Sumud flotilla be allowed to reach its destination in Gaza without interference, ensuring safe passage for the activists and the humanitarian aid on board. End the siege on Gaza,” the protest invitation read.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=33437
