Image Source: Politics Today
World – A United Nations expert has called on Israel to guarantee the safety and human rights of all individuals aboard the Conscience and other vessels of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition intercepted this morning, describing the incident as a serious breach of international law.
The boats were seized in international waters by an Israeli military helicopter in the early hours of Wednesday morning, while the Israeli navy boarded the vessels simultaneously. Members of the flotilla were detained and are being transported to Ashdod port. The Conscience, the flagship vessel, was carrying 92 passengers, including journalists, healthcare workers, and human rights defenders, sailing to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
“This attack against unarmed civilians on the high seas is yet another violation of international law by Israel,” said Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.
Detained Passengers Include Journalists and Healthcare Workers
The interception raised immediate alarm given who was on board. Sixteen international journalists from 10 countries, representing more than a dozen media outlets, were among the 92 passengers detained. Khan raised serious concern for their safety and that of all crew members, following reports of mistreatment of flotilla activists in Israeli custody.
“Israel has an obligation to ensure the rights of all those being arbitrarily detained, including access to healthcare and their rights to be free from torture and ill-treatment. We call on Israel to grant them immediate access to their legal representatives and consular services.”
Journalists Targeted to Silence Coverage of Israeli War Crimes
The international journalists on board travelled in solidarity with Palestinian reporters working under lethal conditions on the ground. More than 252 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israel, deliberately targeted to suppress reporting and documentation of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
“These courageous journalists were sailing in solidarity with local Palestinian journalists who have borne the brunt of reporting at great danger to themselves,” the Special Rapporteur said.
Khan said Israel’s ban on international media access to Gaza made the flotilla’s mission all the more urgent. She called on the international community to demand immediate and unimpeded media access to the territory, and said those intercepted retain full rights under international law to express solidarity with the people of Palestine.
