Israel releases the two flotilla activists
The Catalan-Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek assures that they have spent "six brutal days" detained in a prison in the south of the country
BarcelonaThe Global Sumud Flotilla confirmed this Sunday morning that the Catalan-Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek has been released by the Israeli authorities along with the Brazilian Thiago Ávila, after "six brutal days", as the activists said, detained in a prison in the south of the country. Abukeshek and Ávila were arrested by the Israeli Navy when the Israeli army stormed about twenty boats of the civilian humanitarian mission in international waters.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured this morning that the two activists have been deported via Egypt and have arrived in Greece. In a message on social media, José Manuel Albares, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, reported early this morning that Abukeshek was already flying to the Spanish state, where he will reunite with his family and friends in the coming hours. For his part, Ávila will fly from Egypt to Brazil, his country, with a stopover in Ethiopia.
In a video posted on social media, Abukeshek, from Athens, expressed his first words after being released, referring to the mistreatment that the defense has denounced this week: "I am sure that the treatment I have had to endure is not comparable to the suffering of Palestinian prisoners, including children and women. We have heard the testimonies about their daily torture and rights violations," stated the Catalan-Palestinian, who has called for continued mobilizations and to "not forget" the Palestinian prisoners.
Abukeshek also thanked the "voices" of those who have supported him from abroad, and recalled that the mission "has not ended." This Friday, the Flotilla organization announced that several boats were setting sail again from Crete after the Israeli assault. En route to Gaza, the vessels will make a stop in Turkey, and this Tuesday the organizers plan to announce news about the future of the mission.
After confirming the release of the two activists, Adalah, the legal center for the rights of the Arab minority in Israel, which has defended the accused, has condemned "the entire process" as, it points out, "a flagrant violation of international law". "From their abduction in international waters to their illegal detention in total isolation and the mistreatment to which they have been subjected," the organization indicates in a statement.