Brussels, MINA – Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said on Sunday that reports claiming climate activist Greta Thunberg was mistreated while detained in Israel are “very serious” if proven true.
“Even before the arrest, we had conveyed to Israel the importance of respecting the safety and consular rights of Swedish citizens,” Stenergard said in a statement to Swedish news agency TT.
“I have taken note of the reports of allegations of abusive treatment. If the reports are true, this is very serious. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the embassy are working to bring the Swedish citizens home as soon as possible,” she added.
The minister emphasized that Sweden had stressed the need for food, water, and access to legal counsel for all detainees. She also said that the Swedish government had reinforced its consular team in Tel Aviv with additional staff from Stockholm to handle the situation.
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Earlier on Sunday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry declined to confirm media reports that Thunberg had been mistreated by Israeli authorities, including being forced to pose for a photo with an Israeli flag, according to a statement to Anadolu.
Thunberg was among more than 400 activists, parliamentarians, and lawyers detained after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla earlier this week.
According to The Guardian, Thunberg told Swedish officials she had been held in a cell infested with bedbugs and denied adequate food and water. Another detainee claimed she was forced to hold Israeli flags during a staged photo session.
Other flotilla participants supported the reports of abuse. Turkish activist Ersin Celik told Anadolu that Israeli forces “severely tortured Greta before our eyes,” while Italian journalist Lorenzo D’Agostino said she was “wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy.” []
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