Spain to Take ’Israel’ to ICC Over Flotilla Activist Abuse

By Staff, Agencies

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has suggested that legal measures might be pursued at the International Criminal Court [ICC] following reports from Spanish citizens on board the Global Sumud Flotilla regarding mistreatment by "Israeli" guards during their custody.

Marlaska expressed deep concern over rights violations, saying, “for that, there are legal channels: The International Criminal Court and also the Spanish courts.”

He reiterated that criminal liabilities regarding individuals who might have been victims will be assessed and dealt with through the relevant national and international legal frameworks.

The Spanish Minister stressed that boarding ships in international waters is a violation of international and national law, calling it “a deprivation of liberty, absolutely illegal.”

He noted that the foremost priority is for the final 28 members of the flotilla to return to Spain “safe and sound.”

Spain is “absolutely proactive,” taking the case to the ICC to defend the rights of Spanish and other affected citizens, the Minister emphasized.

The senior Spanish official said there will be time to respond legally, noting that Spain has already moved to appear before the International Criminal Court.

He also said that the attorney general’s office has initiated investigative proceedings as well.

“I believe that, in defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, no one can say that we have not been defending them from minute one,” he said.

The remarks come as the Gaza flotilla activists were deported from the "Israeli"-occupied territories amid numerous accounts of their mistreatment in "Israeli" detention centers.

According to the Spanish EFE news agency, they reported a lack of access to legal counsel and were also unable to contact their families.

The activists added that armed personnel entered the cells accompanied by dogs, directing them towards their heads.

They said they were deprived of sleep, moved between cells to prevent them from resting, and were treated “worse than animals.”

Around 450 flotilla participants were detained by "Israeli" forces between Wednesday and Friday as they attempted to break the Gaza blockade and deliver aid.