Israel Has Finally Released These Two Global Sumud Flotilla Activists After Detaining Them For Nearly Two Weeks Without Charges
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the release without charges proved Israel never had a case.
Israel has finally released Global Sumud Flotilla activists Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Ávila, after it abducted them in international waters and detained them without charges for nearly two weeks.
Abu Keshek, a Spanish-Swedish activist of Palestinian descent, and Brazilian activist Ávila were two of about 180 activists Israel detained after its military illegally intercepted about 22 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters on April 30.
Israel released all the activists within days, except Abu Keshek and Ávila, whom it transferred to Israel and held for further questioning.
Israel’s foreign ministry had accused Abu Keshek of “affiliation with a terrorist organization” and Ávila of “illegal activity”, which both had denied.
Both activists told human rights organizations who visited them on May 2 that they had faced mistreatment from Israeli soldiers during their abduction, according to Al Jazeera.
Abu Keshek said he had bruising to his face and hands after being “hand-tied and blindfolded”, and Ávila said he was “dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so severely that he passed out twice”.
Israeli courts extended their detention twice, first until May 5, the day Ávila's mother died in Brazil while he was still in prison, and then again until May 10.
The two activists have been on a hunger strike since their arrest, with Abu Keshek later escalating his protest by refusing water since Thursday, May 7.
Spain summoned Israel's top envoy in Madrid, calling the detention of Abu Keshek “unacceptable and intolerable”, while the UN and Brazil also publicly called for both activists' release.
On May 10, Israel released and deported both activists without charges, Ávila to Jordan, Abu Keshek to Spain.
“Israel will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the release without charges proved Israel never had a case.
More than 30 flotilla vessels have departed Crete, heading to Turkey for a technical stop, with organizers saying the mission to break Israel's siege on Gaza continues.
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
