Istanbul, MINA – A Turkish activist has claimed that Israeli forces subjected Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg to severe torture following the interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla in international waters, Anadolu Agency reported.
Ersin Celik, one of the activists detained during the mission, told CNN Turk that Thunberg, 22, was mistreated while in Israeli custody. “They severely tortured Greta before our eyes,” Celik said. “They persecuted her — Greta is just a little child. They made her crawl and made her kiss the Israeli flag. They did exactly what the Nazis did once.”
Celik was among those aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian mission aiming to deliver aid to Gaza. The flotilla, including the vessel Madleen, was intercepted by Israeli naval forces in June.
A total of 137 activists, including 36 Turkish and 23 Malaysian citizens, were on the flight that arrived in Istanbul on Saturday afternoon from Ramon Airport in Eilat, Israel. The flight landed at 3:50 p.m. local time (12:50 GMT).
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It remains unclear whether Thunberg was deported or is still being held by Israeli authorities. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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