Occupation Court Approves Continued Detention of "Hanthal" Activists Until Deportation

SadaNews - The Israeli "Immigration Affairs" court has approved the decision to continue the detention of 14 international activists who were on board the "Hanthal" ship, part of the "Freedom Fleet", after they refused to agree to what is called "voluntary deportation procedures".

The Israeli court has decided to keep them in detention until the imminent deportation process is carried out, according to the "Adala" legal center.

Yesterday, Monday, sessions were held before the Israeli Immigration Court at the "Givon" facility in Ramla to examine the cases of the 14 international activists who were arrested after the Israeli navy intercepted the "Hanthal" ship, which was on its way to Gaza, as reported by the "Adala" center in a press briefing after the sessions concluded.

The center explained that all the detainees refused to sign what is called "voluntary deportation" and are continuing an open hunger strike in protest against their unlawful detention.

Lawyers from the center represented the detainees before the court, confirming that the sessions lasted from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, in the context of legal efforts to "stop the illegal detention and ensure their rights".

Several activists provided shocking testimonies before the court, including American activist Christian Smalls, who spoke about "being subjected to severe physical violence by the Israeli forces".

Meanwhile, other detained women reported being deprived of humane conditions in prison, including "lack of ventilation in severe heat and absence of basic sanitary supplies for women".

The center noted that activists, including Angie Sahouki (France), Dr. Frank Romano (holder of both American and French citizenship), and Santiago Gonzalez Vallejo (Spain), were subjected to intense pressure on Sunday which prevented them from meeting with their lawyers, forcing them to involuntarily waive this right, until communication was allowed today.

"Adala" pointed out that the Israeli court does not look into the legality of deportation but only in extending their detention until the date of enforced deportation, which gives the authorities wide margins to continue their imprisonment despite the absence of any actual legal justification, a practice that has previously been used with the activists of the "Madeleine" ship and is now being repeated with the crew of the "Hanthal".

The center confirmed that "the abduction of civilian activists from international waters and their forced transfer to Israel is a blatant violation of international law", emphasizing the continuation of its legal demands for their immediate release and their "right to humanitarian work".

In this context, the center noted continued diplomatic visits from representatives of the embassies of France and Australia to their detained citizens and demanded to allow "daily legal visits until their release".

According to the latest update, several activists have been deported in recent hours, including: Antonio Mazzio (Italy), Gabriel Cathala (France), Jacob Berger (USA), in addition to Al Jazeera journalists Wad Al-Mousa and Mohammed Al-Baqali. Activists Hoyda Araf and Robert Bob Sabri were also released yesterday evening.

"Adala" concluded the briefing by emphasizing that the activists "stated during their appearance before the court that they came to the region for humanitarian reasons, in an attempt to break the illegal siege of Gaza, amidst a genocide that has been ongoing for more than 22 months, and an unprecedented famine that has claimed the lives of dozens of children".