Brazil demands immediate release of Freedom Flotilla activist detained by Israel

Brasilia demanded on Wednesday the immediate release of activist Thiago Avila, who has been detained by Israeli occupation authorities aboard the Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen.

Israeli forces seized the vessel in international waters early Monday, detaining 12 activists from several countries while they were attempting to reach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid to challenge an Israeli blockade.

The activists included citizens from Brazil, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Spain and Turkey.

On Wednesday, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised in a statement the vessel’s interception as a “flagrant violation of international law”, stressing that the ship was carrying out a humanitarian mission to deliver urgent aid to civilians in Gaza. It indicated that Brazilian embassies in the region were ready to provide consular support, and that their staff had been closely monitoring the case from the moment of the arrest.

Representatives from the Brazilian embassy in Tel Aviv travelled to the Givon detention center, where Avila and seven other international activists are being held, and accompanied them through part of the legal proceedings, including a hearing before an Israeli judge regarding the forcible deportation order.

According to Adalah, the Israeli legal center for human rights, which represents eight Freedom Flotilla activists, including Avila, the Brazilian activist has been on a hunger strike since 4:00 a.m. on Monday, protesting his arbitrary detention and has refused to sign a deportation document containing what has been described as an “illegal admission of guilt”, despite being forcibly taken from international waters.