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Our legs were chained, we were stripped naked... we have the scars - Freed flotilla activists arrive in Tangerang following row over Israeli detention | Collector
Our legs were chained, we were stripped naked... we have the scars - Freed flotilla activists arrive in Tangerang following row over Israeli detention
Ruptly

Our legs were chained, we were stripped naked... we have the scars - Freed flotilla activists arrive in Tangerang following row over Israeli detention

"Dozens of Global Sumud Flottlia supporters gathered to welcome a group of Indonesian activists and journalists, who arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Sunday after being released from Israeli detention. Footage from the airport's arrivals shows the freed activists arriving and being welcomed by Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono. Supporters can also be seen holding placards reading: 'Welcome to humanity', 'You fought, and you won', and 'Free not because of diplomacy', among others. "What we experienced there was indeed cruel, but I never imagined what the Palestinian people feel in prison, with no certainty of freedom and certainly receiving even harsher treatment," freed journalist Taudy Baday said. Another activist, Andre Prasentyo, claimed that Israeli authorities shot some detainees with rubber bullets and launched 'tear gas' to wake them up in the morning. "If we were seen looking to the side, our heads would be forced down onto the ground; that was part of the immigration process [...] We remained tightly handcuffed, there are still marks from the restraints, our legs were chained, and we were stripped naked," another added. The Israel Prison Service (IPS) has denied allegations of abuse in prison, saying detained activists were held "in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights and under the supervision of professional and trained prison staff." This comes after Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters earlier this week, seizing all 50 vessels and detaining 428 participants from more than 40 countries. The convoy aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza amid Israel's ongoing land and naval blockade, with the enclave facing severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential supplies. The interceptions and detentions sparked strong backlash worldwide and in Israel, after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted footage on social media of him taunting blindfolded, bound, and kneeling detainees at Ashdod Port. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's right to stop the flotilla but criticised Ben-Gvir, saying the way he dealt with the activists was 'not in line with Israel's values'."

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