UPDATES WITH FURTHER REMARKS, DETAILS; ADDS TO DECK
By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - The UN human rights office said Monday it had received "worrying information" about the treatment of participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla detained in Israel.
"We have received worrying information of ill-treatment and violations of due process rights of the flotilla participants," spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told Anadolu in a statement.
He added that the office "has long raised the alarm regarding the intentionally degrading conditions and treatment of detainees in Israeli prisons and detention centres since 7 October 2023."
"All individuals deprived of liberty must be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human being," the spokesperson urged.
His remarks came as flotilla activists from several countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, and Germany, described consistent patterns of abuse during their detention in Israel upon their return to their homelands.
Their testimonies include being denied water for long periods and having essential medicines "thrown away in front of them," even for elderly detainees with serious health conditions. Some said they were transported blindfolded, "tied on a bus that was freezing cold in the middle of the night," before being taken to prison in the Negev desert, "where Palestinian prisoners have been tortured in the past." They also reported being forced into "tiny cells—10 to 12 people in a cell."
Detainees further accused Israeli forces of using intimidation tactics, including depriving them of sleep, moving them repeatedly between cells to prevent rest, and threatening them with armed personnel and dogs. Some said they were treated "worse than animals," with soldiers pointing weapons at their heads inside the cells.
The accounts also describe degrading treatment and humiliation. Returnees said they were given "insufficient food," denied access to lawyers or family contact, and received little to no medical assistance.
Separately, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who remains in custody, told officials that she was held in a cell "infested with bedbugs" and provided with insufficient food and water, according to correspondence cited by The Guardian.
Other flotilla participants, who had already returned, said Thunberg was "severely tortured" and forced to crawl and kiss the Israeli flag, as well as "wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy." She is expected to return on Monday, according to reports.
During health checks for activists returning to Istanbul, Türkiye collected evidence as a medical team examined their physical and mental condition, took samples for tests, and referred those needing additional care to hospitals. After the examinations, activists were questioned and some foreign nationals interviewed voluntarily, as the case may fall under international crime.
Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla beginning Wednesday and detained more than 470 activists from over 50 countries.
The flotilla had been attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it all but uninhabitable.