The Canadian boat lawyers are today being denied access to the detainees by the prison authorities. We were informed by the Canadian land team: "They kicked the lawyers out at 5pm yesterday, after only three hours, and today they have not been responding to any calls (either on the main line or the cell number of one of the prison officials) to coordinate a visit or arrange phone contact with the detainees."
Harsh Treatment of Captain of Canadian Boat
The Captain of the Canadian ship "Tahrir," Greek citizen Giorgos Klontzas, has confirmed the use of violence on him by Israeli soldiers during his interrogation. Here is an interview he gave to Greek TV upon his deportation from Israel and his return to Greece on Saturday, November 5, 2011.
Captain Klontzas said that he was tightly handcuffed on hands and feet, which created a blood circulation problem. He said that in order to fingerprint him, he was held by three soldiers and with one soldier holding him in a position that strangled and almost suffocated him. Klontzas said that at one point one soldier stuck two of his fingers fingers into Klontzas' eyes causing excruciating pain.
Klontzas said that he was very calm, did not speak aggressively to the soldiers and that he requested to see a lawyer. He also confirmed that some other activists were very badly treated.
Canadian
Passenger David Heap tasered during assault on the Tahrir
Canadian
passenger David Heap communicated to the Canadian support team:
"I am in from cell 9, block 59 Givon Prison near Ramla in Occupied Palestine. Although I was tasered during the assault on the Tahrir, and bruised during forcible removal dockside (I am limping slightly as a result) I am basically ok. We, Ehab, Michael, Karen from Tahrir, as well as Karen, Kit (US) and Jihan who we saw briefly this morning. We are most concerned about our Tahrir shipmate, Palestinian Majd Kayyal from Haifa, last seen by us at Ashdod being photographed and put in a police car.
Although Michael and I (among others) were transported in handcuffs and leg shackles, let me stress that we are neither criminals nor illegal immigrants but rather political prisoners of the apartheid state of Israel. Four from the Tahrir are imprisoned with 12 Irish comrades from the Saoirse, who have more experience with such issues. The four of us, Ehab and I (Cdn), Michael (Aus) and Hassan (UK) have joined with the Irish in their political prisoners' committee in order to press our collective demands:
Association in the block -- i.e. open cells
Adequate writing and reading material
Free communication with outside world - i.e. regular phone calls
Information about shipmate women held at same prison.
Demand for professional journalist status for Democracy Now journalist Jihan Hafiz
Heap
also said ...
"We add one Tahrir-specific demand: that Israeli state recognize the professional status of Democracy Now journalist Jihan Hafiz in accordance with her credentials from the US government. All political incarceration is unjust but let me stress that in duration and conditions, our situation pales in comparison to the plight of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners and to the open air prison of Gaza."
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