Detained GSF activists allowed legal access, lawyer confirms

Activists detained by Israel in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) mission yesterday have received legal access from the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah) for their deportation and detention hearing, says lawyer Fahmi Abd Moin.

Fahmi, who is part of the Centre for Human Rights Research and Advocacy (Centhra) team of lawyers, told Malaysiakini that they are closely monitoring the situation while being in direct communication with Adalah.

“They (the detainees) were denied (legal access). After a few hours, they managed to get access.

“We are communicating directly with them (Adalah),” he said in a brief WhatsApp reply to Malaysiakini.

He added that one of the main legal concerns involving Malaysian delegates was their documentation, as the state of Israel is not recognised by Malaysia.

“Our team is looking into this as we wait for more information from Adalah at the moment,” said Fahmi.

Apart from Fahmi, four other lawyers, namely Azril Amin, Kheizwan Kamaruddin, Ahmad Nazrin Abu Bakar, and Luqman Mazlan, are assisting the Malaysian delegates in legal matters as well as watching brief for this mission.

Yesterday, around 10.45pm Malaysian Time, GSF said that Israeli immigration authorities have begun conducting hearings on the detainees’ deportation and detention orders in Ashdod port, which were initiated without prior notice to the detainees’ lawyers and that the participants were denied access to legal counsel.

“This constitutes a grave violation of due process and a denial of the participants’ fundamental rights,” said GSF in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian embassy in Amman, Jordan, said in a statement today that it is closely monitoring the developments. 

“The embassy has held a meeting with the Malaysian legal team in Amman to ensure Malaysian detainees receive fair and transparent legal protection.

“We are also in contact with Asean-friendly countries in Amman and Tel Aviv to obtain current information regarding Malaysian detainees and provide appropriate consular assistance,” said the embassy in a statement this morning.

Earlier today, Malay Mail reported that the Foreign Ministry has received information on all 23 Malaysian activists in the GSF mission that were detained by Israeli authorities yesterday, confirming that they are safe and will be deported to third countries. 

The GSF mission is an international effort involving 500 activists, including Malaysians, to break the blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

Reports said the first wave of the convoy was intercepted on international waters yesterday, before reaching Gaza’s waters.

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