“It is incomprehensible the silence of the current President of the Assembly of the Republic (PAR) regarding the situation of national citizens, including a deputy elected by the Portuguese,” stated Ferro Rodrigues in a declaration sent to the Lusa news agency.
Bloco de Esquerda coordinator Mariana Mortágua, actress Sofia Aparício, and activists Miguel Duarte and Diogo Chaves are among the more than 450 participants of the humanitarian mission detained by Israeli forces, who intercepted approximately 50 boats of the flotilla between Wednesday and Thursday.
In the same statement, the former President of the Assembly of the Republic advocated for “an effective action for the immediate release and repatriation of the detainees,” demanding the Portuguese Government and the European Union “to file a formal protest with Israel” regarding their treatment.
Deputy Mariana Mortágua, via the Portuguese diplomatic representation in Israel, sent a message to her family complaining that they were kept without food and water and that they are being mistreated, prompting a protest from the Portuguese Government to the Israeli ambassador in Lisbon.
Ferro Rodrigues expressed relief upon hearing Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel’s assurance that the Government would do everything possible to ensure the Portuguese are freed and repatriated swiftly, but criticized Defense Minister Nuno Melo for accusing the activists of being terrorist supporters.
“The accusation by Nuno Melo, of enormous gravity and irresponsibility, seems to ignore the danger the activists are in – well illustrated by the degrading treatment meted out by Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir, filming them kneeling and calling them terrorists and supporters of murderers,” he said.
Ferro Rodrigues reminded that Ben-Gvir oversees the Israeli prison system, arguing that “the way he treated those who are currently, illegally, prisoners of Israel should make us fear for what might happen.”
The four Portuguese agreed to be deported voluntarily and immediately and have been informed that Israeli authorities will place them on “the first available flights to Europe.”
Israel today deported 137 pro-Palestinian activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla to Turkey.
According to the Israeli Government, these are citizens from the United States, Italy, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, and Tunisia.
The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contacted today by Lusa, stated that there is no scheduled date or time for the return of the four Portuguese participants in the flotilla.
The legal team of the Global Sumud Flotilla in Israel said today that they met with 80 participants, out of more than 400 detained, noting that 200 judicial hearings had been conducted between Thursday and Friday “without prior notice to lawyers” and thus “without the assistance of the NGO Adalah, responsible for the defense.”
