Ottawa – Zaytoun News
Canadian Boat to Gaza said in a statement that while families, friends, and supporters of universal human rights are relieved and happy to know that three of the six Canadian volunteers abducted in international waters have arrived safely in Istanbul, the group remains deeply concerned about the other three Canadians who are among the dozens of international Flotilla volunteers still illegally detained by the Israeli regime in the notorious Ketzi’ot prison.
The organization said the ongoing detention like the boarding and seizure of Flotilla vessels in international waters and the theft of the humanitarian aid on board, are all “flagrant violations of international law by the rogue state of Israel.” The statement questioned, “When will the Canadian government act against Israeli lawlessness?”
Canadian Boat to Gaza noted that conditions in the prison where the volunteers are held are reported to be appalling, raising concerns for their well-being and health. The group added that these reports of unacceptable treatment pale in comparison to the situation of over 11,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, who are imprisoned by Israel many without charges or fixed sentences.
The organization confirmed that Mskwaasin Agnew (Ontario), Khurram Musti Khan (Ontario), and Nimâ Machouf (Québec) were among those released from illegal incarceration and expelled by the Israeli prison system. However, Devoney Ellis, Sadie Mees, and Nikita Stapleton, all from St. John’s, NL, remain among the dozens of international volunteers still illegally detained, possibly because they refuse, on principle, to sign an acknowledgment that they “illegally entered” the state that abducted them in international waters.
It added that it is calling on Minister Anand and the rest of the Carney Liberal government to take immediate, concrete action to address the ongoing violations of Palestinian human rights by what it described as “the genocidal apartheid state of Israel.”
“There is no reason to trust that Israel will abide by the terms of the recent ‘peace deal,’” the statement continued. “While the genocide by bombing may have paused, the genocide by deliberate starvation will continue until there is unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, without control by Israel, as mandated by the International Court of Justice.”
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