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Israeli soldiers beat and tortured flotilla organisers Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila after abducting them in international waters near Greece in the early hours of Thursday morning, lawyers and diplomats have said. After illegally intercepting 22 boats and kidnapping around 200 activists hundreds of miles from Gaza, Israel transferred the majority to Greek authorities, but refused to release Abukeshek and Ávila. Instead, it transported them back to an Israeli desert prison, where Palestinians are routinely tortured. Brazilian activist Ávila was dragged face-down across the floor and beaten so badly he passed out twice, lawyers said, after visiting him on Saturday. His wife, Lara Souza, said an embassy official told her he had been temporarily blinded by his injuries, with his left eye still swollen shut, but he was being denied medical treatment. In a brief visit, where he was separated from the consul by a glass screen and not able to speak freely, he reported pain all over his body, especially in his hand and shoulder, and said that soldiers had threatened to throw him overboard and target his wife and two-year-old daughter. Abukeshek, who had been sailing on an observer boat and did not intend to go to Gaza, was “in shock”, his wife Sally Issa said. He was forced to lie face-down on the floor of an Israeli warship for two days, lawyers said, blindfolded and with his hands bound behind his back. Spain has demanded Israel release Abukeshek, who is Palestinian but holds Spanish and Swedish citizenship. On Friday, prime minister Pedro Sánchez said he had been "illegally abducted by the Netanyahu government". On Sunday, the activists appeared before an Israeli court, where a judge extended their detention by two days. Lawyers demanded their immediate and unconditional release, telling the court the entire process was "fundamentally flawed and illegal", and describing Israel's actions as a "retaliatory measure against humanitarian activist leaders". The two men have now been transferred back to solitary confinement in Shikma prison, where they are being held in windowless cells. Both are on hunger strike, with Ávila saying he will not leave without Abukeshek.

We have been working on a database of likely sexual violence hoaxes, complete with the alleged liar. We've been entering them chronologically, starting at 7 Oct 2023. So far we've entered 63 likely sexual violence hoaxes, and that isn't a year's worth of data.

Geneva: Thiago Ávila and Saif Abu Shek were not released with the other participants after interception and are currently taken by Israel. They have been abducted by Israel and are being kept under unlawful detention. Being in international waters to deliver aid to Gaza is not a crime. Israel continues to be allowed to act with imputing and face no consequences for illegal actions and violations of international law. UN member states must act now The reported torture of a civilian activists, combined with the unlawful transfer of detainees from European waters, marks a dangerous escalation with far-reaching legal and moral consequences. Failure to act now risks not only the safety and lives of Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila, but further erodes the credibility of international law in the face of ongoing atrocities in Gaza. All the UN member states must take immediate action to ensure the safety of all flotilla participants and the release of Thiago and Saif. Release them now!!!!!! Issued by Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to health

Colonial courts have granted an extension of Saif and Thiago’s illegal detention by two days. Lawyers will update us soon with more information. We demand their immediate release. Keep the pressure up. 📷 Yoav Etiel, Walla