The Arab Human Rights Center in Israel announced on Tuesday that the Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who was on board the ship.Madeleine“He started a hunger strike and water since the dawn of Monday.
Israel arrested 12 activists from several countries after the piracy of the ship Madeleine at dawn on Monday, while she was on international waters on its way to Gaza.
Later, 4 activists of the ship left Israel, while the rest refused to sign the deportation orders, to be deposited by the Israeli “Jafehon” prison in a city Ramla (middle).
The Adalah Center said in a statement that 8 out of 12 international activists were on the Madeleine ship, on Tuesday before the arrest court in Ramla, after a forced deportation of 4 others.
He added that the Israeli court looked at the detention orders issued against the eight activists by the Ministry of Interior for their forced deportation at the closest opportunity.
“Adalah” pointed out that the presentation of the 8 activists to the court came despite the fact that Israel was forcibly detained in international waters and transferred them to Ashdod, other than their will, considering that they were “illegal infiltrators.”
He said that the sessions took more than 5 hours, during which he represented the eight activists, the justice team of the lawyer, Hadeel Abu Saleh and Lubna Touma, in addition to the volunteer lawyer Afnan Khalifa.
Legal objections
During the pleading, the legal team argued that the Israeli authorities’ objection to the Madeleine Ship, which tried to break the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, and the arrest of the activists who were on board, is illegal, and is a direct violation of international law.
The defense team stressed that “the brutal siege on Gaza is an illegal blockade”, aimed at starving the civilian population, and is considered a collective punishment prohibited in accordance with international humanitarian law, and a flagrant violation of temporary measures issued by International Court of Justice In case Genocide Truly Israel By the State of South Africa.
Accordingly, the three lawyers confirmed that the activists acted within their legitimate rights in their attempt to break the siege, and to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, who have been facing for months dangerous months Famine.
They also stressed that this illegal work to prevent the ship from reaching its goal and detaining those on it, is an extension of the illegal siege policies, and a violation of international legal obligations.
The Adalah Center added that the legal team indicated that the authorities lacked the judicial jurisdiction in this case, as that Israeli forces The ship intercepted in international waters and took it on board to the country, which means that it does not have any legal authority to detain or deport them.
The team also called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of the activists, and allowing them to return to the ship with the aim of completing the task they were in the process of implementing it, which is to deliver aid to Gaza, and then return to their countries.
A complaint of kidnapping and detention
“Adalah” revealed, during the session, that the Madeleine Madeleine activists, the detainees, complained that they were “kidnapped and taken by force to Israel”, in addition to that “their mission is to break the siege and provide aid, and there is no other goal.”
Activists reported, according to the center, that they were detained in unhealthy circumstances inside the centers of the Israeli Prison Authority, due to the outbreak of bedding insects, and the lack of drinking water for them.
For its part, the Israeli authorities asked the court to keep the activists under detention until the implementation of orders Deportation Which was issued against them, according to the “Law of Entry to Israel”.
The aforementioned law permits the detention of the persons issued against them, a 72 -hour deportation order before the implementation of the decision, in the event that they do not agree to leave voluntarily with the closest opportunity to give them the authorities.
At the end of his statement, “Adalah” called for the immediate and unconditional release of the activists, and the availability of a return to their mother countries, indicating that “the court’s decision is expected to be issued at a later time during the recent period.”