Freed Indonesian on Gaza flotilla tells father of rough treatment by Israeli officials

After three agonising days with no word from his son, Warsono finally saw the face he had been waiting for. The 60-year-old Indonesian from Bandar Lampung in Sumatra spoke by video call on Thursday evening to his son, Andre Prasetyo Nugroho, following the 27-year-old journalist’s release from Israeli detention in Gaza. “To my great relief, I could see he was in one piece, albeit somewhat worse for wear,” he said, adding that his son had bruises on his hands from being tightly zip-tied and, according to Andre, roughed up by Israeli officials. Andre’s account adds another voice to the wider controversy over Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 (GSF 2.0) on Monday. The action has drawn condemnation from Jakarta, press freedom groups and several foreign governments over the detention and alleged mistreatment of activists and journalists. Andre, who works for Tempo TV, was one of four Indonesian journalists aboard vessels in the civilian convoy. The other three were Bambang Noroyono and Thoudy Badai from Republika and iNews’ Heru Rahendro. GSF 2.0 describes itself as a global “coordinated civilian maritime effort for Palestine” seeking to break Israel’s 19-year blockade of Gaza. More than 40 boats and over a thousand participants were part of the humanitarian aid convoy. The flotilla’s interception drew international condemnation after Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, posted a video showing the detained activists kneeling with their hands bound while he taunted them. Several governments and the United Nations criticised the treatment as degrading and called for accountability, while Israeli officials later distanced themselves from Ben-Gvir’s conduct. Warsono said he had heard directly from his son about how Israeli officials had allegedly manhandled the detainees. “They were so rough with my son that Andre almost fainted at one point due to suffocation while they were all being handcuffed and herded away.” However, he might have an inkling why the Israelis had mistreated his son. “I know my son. He would have protested vehemently and given them a mouthful even at the risk of violence,” he said with pride in his voice. About 420 civilians from more than 70 countries were arrested in the raid, which took place in international waters near Cyprus, around 200 to 300 nautical miles from the Gaza coast. Nine Indonesians were among the detainees. After spending four days being interrogated, they were released by the Israeli authorities and were flown to Turkey, where they received medical treatment after their ordeals. Amid mounting international pressure, Israeli authorities announced they had “deported” all the GSF 2.0 activists on Thursday. Warsono said he was thankful Andre had been one of the luckier ones. “I was told others were nursing a few black eyes and worse, sustained during their interrogations by the Israelis.” This Week In Asia sent a query to the Israeli embassy in Singapore regarding the mistreatment allegation of the Indonesian detainees but received no reply. ‘Inhumane treatment’ Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono had strong words for Israel in a recorded official statement on May 21. “The Indonesian government condemns the inhumane treatment of our nationals during their detention, which was a clear violation of international humanitarian laws.” Indonesia was indebted to the government of Turkey, which “had played a vital role” in lobbying for the release of the detainees, he said. “The Foreign Ministry had optimised its diplomatic channels through our representatives in Ankara, Istanbul, Cairo, Rome and Amman to good effect. Effective communications were maintained with different authorities and international partners throughout.” Since the foundation of Israel in 1948, Indonesia has withheld recognition and refrained from having official diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. President Prabowo Subianto, however, said in September last year that Indonesia, adhering to the two-state solution, was “ready to recognise” and “establish diplomatic relations” with Israel as soon as Palestinian independence was truly achieved. Although he was thankful for the efforts by Indonesian government, Warsono said civil society groups like the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) should also be credited with having brought the matter to public notice. “My impression remains that the government moved at a faster pace after all the pressure was brought to bear. I don’t believe it could have happened without their solidarity,” he said. AJI and other civil society groups organised simultaneous public rallies in major cities such as Jakarta, Bandar Lampung, Bandung and Surabaya, demanding the release of all the detainees, on Thursday. Dian Wahyu Kusuma, chairman of AJI Bandar Lampung, where Andre is registered as a member, said the detention of journalists was a breach of freedom of the press. “Protection for journalists is enshrined in various international covenants on human rights and UN resolutions, which Israel wantonly disregarded,” he said. Warsono was not the only one longing to see his son again. All of Andre’s colleagues were also awaiting his return from Istanbul, said Jajang Jamaluddin, Corporate Secretary of PT Tempo Inti Media. “Tempo plans to send our representative there to facilitate his repatriation, if circumstances allow,” he said.

Freed Indonesian on Gaza flotilla tells father of rough treatment by Israeli officials

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Nine Indonesians were among those detained when Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla on Monday

Nine Indonesians were among those detained when Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla on Monday