Six activists deported from Israel after intercepted Gaza Flotilla, two still remain in custody
The Israeli foreign ministry has deported six out of eight international activists who were detained in Israel after their vessel was intercepted while attempting to breach the naval blockade on Gaza. The activists were held for over 72 hours after the seizure of the Madleen Freedom Flotilla in international waters.
Israeli human rights organisation Adalah, which has been providing legal counsel to the activists, confirmed that the remaining two are still in Israeli custody. They are scheduled for deportation on Friday. Among those already deported is French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan. In a statement on X, the Israeli foreign ministry shared images of the activists boarding a flight, adding a pointed message: "Bye-bye- and don't forget to take a selfie before you leave."
Following her release, Hassan confirmed through a social media that she had left prison and invited supporters to join her at Place de la République in Paris later that evening.
The other deported activists include Mark van Rennes from the Netherlands, Suayb Ordu from Turkey, Yasemin Acar from Germany, Thiago Avila from Brazil and Reva Viard from France. Adalah identified the two activists still in custody as French nationals Pascal Maurieras and Yanis Mhamdi. They are being held at Givon prison pending their scheduled deportation.
In its statement, Adalah raised concerns over the activists' treatment during their detention. It also reported instances of mistreatment, punitive actions and periods of solitary confinement for some detainees. The organisation demanded for the immediate release of all eight individuals and criticised Israel’s actions as violations of international law.
The Israeli foreign ministry earlier stated that any detainees refusing to sign deportation papers would be subjected to legal proceedings in accordance with domestic laws to enforce their removal from the country.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengal polls: RG Kar victim's mother files nomination as BJP candidate from Panihati
Kolkata (PTI): Ratna Debnath, mother of the raped-murdered RG Kar hospital doctor and the BJP candidate from Panihati, filed her nomination papers on Thursday.
She was accompanied by senior BJP leader and former Union minister Smriti Irani and district party leaders.
Speaking to reporters after filing her nomination, she said her sole aim is to oust the TMC regime in West Bengal, which, she alleged, would ensure women's safety in the state and prevent a recurrence of incidents like the RG Kar case.
Nearly a year and a half after the brutal killing of her 26-year-old daughter inside a locked seminar room of the state-run hospital in August 2024, Debnath agreed to contest the polls on a BJP ticket from her hometown Panihati after being approached by the party "to bring to light the truth behind the crime".
She is pitted against TMC's Tirthankar Ghosh and CPI(M)'s Kalatan Dasgupta.
