One tells consular officials his arm was dislocated and head slammed into ground while another fears she may have a stroke
One tells consular officials his arm was dislocated and head slammed into ground while another fears she may have a stroke
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.
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”.
McEwen, a 40-year-old care worker and Lamont, a 54-year-old documentary film-maker – both from the New South Wales northern rivers – were arrested on Thursday when their Gaza-bound ships were intercepted by the Israeli navy. They were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla of 42 vessels carrying more than 450 people, among them parliamentarians, lawyers and activists – including the Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg – all of whom were arrested.
