A flotilla of human rights activists was arrested this week in international waters near Cyprus — and a San Diegan with them says they were mistreated in the process.
Friends and supporters held a press conference at the City Heights/Weingart Library on Friday afternoon to demand that Meagan Marie Dominguez be safely returned home.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, comprising about 50 boats, was intercepted in international waters near Cyprus. Activists, journalists, and at least one lawmaker from Italy were transferred onto military boats and brought to a larger military vessel at the Ashdod port in southern Israel, where they were held in containers, according to their accounts.
View this post on InstagramMeagan Marie Dominguez, who goes by @spacebunnynews1 on Instagram, has been documenting the activities of the flotilla while aboard, which she and other participants say was on its way to deliver essential aid to people in Gaza when it was intercepted by Israeli forces.
She published a video to Instagram on Thursday showing bruises on her face and alleging that she and the other activists were physically abused — whipped, slapped, and beaten — and then taken to Turkey. Multiple other accounts from the flotilla match her own.
“While we are deeply grateful to have heard from Mea and to know that she’s alive, the experiences she has shared so far have been agonizing to hear,” said fellow activist Mariel Horner at the protest. “We are looking forward to surrounding her to love when she safely returns home.”
A press conference demanding that activists arrested while in international waters come home safely. (Photo by Adrian Childress/Times of San Diego)Dominguez, who has been posting regular updates on social media, spoke to supporters via video call at the press conference.
“The situation was so much worse than I could have ever imagined,” she said. “I want to thank everybody who called for my release and spoke up for everybody on the Global Sumud and also got attention to the violence that Palestinians are experiencing.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — who has called for deporting political opponents and was barred from mandatory military service for his extreme views — sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting activists from a flotilla to Gaza who were detained by his police force.
Foreign leaders have condemned his on-camera treatment of the detainees and several countries summoned Israeli envoys to air their concerns.
Israel denies mistreatment, calling allegations of violence “false and entirely without factual basis.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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