Tunisia - Saba:
The Tunisian Journalists Syndicate condemned Israel's forced detention of activists on the "Hanthala" ship, which was attempting to break the siege on the Gaza Strip, including Tunisian Hatem al-Aouini. It called for an immediate UN-supervised investigation into this crime.
The Journalists Syndicate said in a statement on Wednesday: "Today marks four days since the kidnapping of Tunisian activist Hatem al-Aouini by the Zionist entity. He was among the international solidarity activists on board the Hanthala ship, as part of the Freedom Flotilla aiming to break the siege on the Gaza Strip."
On Saturday, Israeli naval forces stormed the "Handala" ship, carrying international activists, as it was heading to Gaza in an attempt to break the blockade imposed on the Palestinian Strip. The ship was fully seized and taken to the port of Ashdod.
The union explained that "Al-Awini and his companions are facing conditions of forced detention and arbitrary detention," considering this a "blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions, which oblige occupying powers to protect civilians."
It stressed "the need for the immediate and unconditional release of Al-Awini and all detainees from the Handala ship."
It called for "an urgent and independent international investigation under the supervision of the United Nations into the crime of kidnapping and arbitrary detention."
It considered that "the kidnapping, which took place in international waters, specifically in the Mediterranean Sea, constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and international maritime law, and a targeting of defenseless civilians in places supposedly protected by international law."
It affirmed that it was "a crime of kidnapping and a violation of the sovereignty of the countries to which the participants belong, and a hostile act that amounts to piracy under Article 101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." It held Israel responsible for the safety of the activists and considered the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, the international community, the European Union, and human rights sponsors "accomplices in what happened due to their continued silence regarding these practices, which are now being repeated without deterrence." It called on Tunisia to "assume its full responsibility in rescuing a Tunisian citizen who was kidnapped by a barbaric and terrorist entity, and to inform the public of all the steps taken in this regard and to end its silence." The "Handala" ship had reached 70 miles from Gaza when it was stormed by the Israeli enemy army. This exceeded the distances traveled by previous ships, such as the "Blue Marmara," which reached 72 miles before being intercepted by the Israeli entity in 2010; the "Madeleine," which reached 110 miles; and the "Conscience," which reached 1,050 miles, according to the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza.
On July 13, the ship set sail from the Italian port of Syracuse, before docking at the port of Gallipoli on July 15 to overcome some technical issues. It then set sail again on July 20 toward Gaza.
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