Greek activist and academic Antonis Vradis shared his harrowing experience after being detained by Israeli authorities in international waters alongside fellow Freedom Flotilla activists.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Vradis revealed that he was held for 52 hours aboard an Israeli vessel before being transferred to Israel and ultimately deported. He alleges that he was subjected to brutal torture by Israeli commandos during his detention.
As a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla—a fleet of over 50 vessels aimed at breaking the naval blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and stand in solidarity with Palestinians—Vradis was aboard the La Sirena when it was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Cyprus. The passengers were detained at gunpoint and transferred to the Nahshon, a ship he describes as a “floating prison.”
“I began calculating how many minutes on my knees I would trade for just a few seconds inside the torture container. It felt like we were kneeling for an eternity,” Vradis recalled. “A drone hovered overhead, and a nationalistic song blared continuously from the loudspeakers in an exhausting, repetitive loop.”
Greek flotilla activist alleges torture by the Israelis
The activist detailed accounts of beatings, electric shocks, and humiliation. He noted that he was held in metal containers with dozens of other activists, deprived of food, water, and medical care. This experience, he said, made him truly understand the depth of sumud—the steadfastness and resilience that characterizes the Palestinian people.
Upon arrival at the Israeli port of Ashdod, Vradis claims he faced further violence and was threatened with a knife, all while being denied medical attention.
“During the fingerprinting and photographing process inside a large registration tent, two guards dragged me into a small, isolated area behind a curtain,” he described. “One of them lunged at me with a folding knife. The blade was aimed at my stomach, but I instinctively moved, and it struck my arm instead, leaving a bleeding, four-centimeter gash.”
Vradis’s allegations are now the subject of legal proceedings in Greece. Reflecting on the ordeal, he warned that his experience reflects practices that have reportedly been inflicted on Palestinians for decades.
“They put us in a black box stripped of all rights,” he stated, describing the incident as an act of “state piracy.”
Related: Israel Exploits Greece to Advance Regional Hegemony, UN Special Rapporteur Warns
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