The Magistrate’s Court of Ashkelon, a coastal city in southern Israel, extended by two days the detention of the Palestinian-Spanish activist Saif Abukeshek and his Brazilian companion Thiago Ávila, Adalah, the legal center representing the two members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, told Efe. Israel links both activists, especially Abukeshek, to having connections with Hamas.
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Abukeshek and Ávila, who entered Shikma prison in northern Gaza on Saturday, have started a hunger strike and denounce mistreatment and torture. On Friday, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, demanded the release of Abukeshek, whom he described as “kidnapped” by the Israeli government.
“According to the Brazilian Embassy, Thiago de Ávila has reported that he has been tortured, beaten, and mistreated. Embassy officials observed visible marks on his face during a supervised visit, with a glass partition and without being able to communicate freely,” the Global Sumud Flotilla explained in a statement.
Lawyers from the Center for the Rights of the Arab Minority in Israel, Adalah, have also been able to visit the Swedish-Spanish of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek. In Abukeshek’s case, he reported that he is handcuffed and blindfolded, forced to remain face down on the floor from the moment of his capture until the morning of this Saturday, which has caused bruises on his face and hands.
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Upon arrival at Shikma Prison, he was informed that he would be interrogated by Shin Bet, the Israeli security service for the interior and the Palestinian territories for alleged “membership in a terrorist organization,” Adalah reports.
The Flotilla also recalls that no charges have been filed against De Ávila and that the Embassy has not received clarifying information about the reasons for his detention. Furthermore, it highlights that De Ávila has expressed his intention not to leave prison unless Abukeshek is also released.
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