<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/06/australian-gaza-flotilla-activists-detained-by-israel-complain-of-degrading-and-humiliating-treatment>
"Australian activists detained in Israel have told their country’s officials of
“degrading and humiliating treatment” they claim to have received after being
arrested onboard a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza – with one, Surya McEwen,
saying he had been slapped and had his arm dislocated and head slammed into the
ground.
Another, Juliet Lamont, said she was “gravely” concerned she was at risk of
stroke after her daily medication was confiscated by Israeli security forces.
She said her request for more medication was not being met while she was being
held in a prison environment she described as “dystopian”.
McEwen and Lamont are among seven Australians confirmed by the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) to have been detained in Israel. Dfat said on
Monday it was providing consular assistance to the Australians including
through in-person visits.
They are being held in a high-security prison in the Negev desert after being
arrested as part of the pro-Palestinian flotilla carrying aid to Gaza, and
allege that they and fellow inmates were offered water that was undrinkable due
to a strong chemical taste.
On Monday, Israel deported 171 of the activists they detained on the flotilla
but it was believed the Australians were not among them. The Israeli foreign
ministry said the deportees were citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland,
Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland,
Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States,
McEwen told Australian officials he had been held in a cage with 80 other
people without food or water while the Israeli national security minister,
Itamar Ben-Gvir, yelled abuse at them, while Lamont told officials that when
she arrived at Ketziot prison she was taken to a room with other women, where
Ben-Gvir berated them and called them “terrorists”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
