AFP to probe treatment of Australian flotilla activists
Federal police have left the door open to investigate allegations that a group of Australians were kidnapped, tortured and raped by Israeli authorities while trying to deliver aid to Gaza.
Eleven Australians who joined the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza in May were detained at gunpoint in international waters, then imprisoned and eventually deported from Israel.
Members of the group allege they were subjected to violence, sexual assault and harassment while in Israeli custody.
Some of the Australian participants met with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and senior members of the Australian Federal Police at Parliament House on Monday afternoon.
During the meeting, the federal government was pressed for commitments, including the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador to Australia.
Juliet Lamont, who claimed that she was raped by an Israeli soldier, said that AFP representatives who attended the meeting agreed on an independent investigation into the allegations.
“He (Senator Wong) said he believed in us,” Lamont told reporters after the meeting.
“You could hear a pin drop there. It was sad. It was extremely emotional.
“Every woman there, I think there were 10 of them, they all believed us and eventually came up to us and thanked us for sharing our sad statement, said we were really brave and wanted to support us with the investigations.”
An AFP spokesman said the organization had launched an investigation into allegations made by a representative of the group.
“AFP takes a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach,” the spokesperson said.
“AFP will provide an update at the appropriate time.”
Neve O’Connor, who joined the squadron, said the group wanted to see “strong accountability”.
“We want to see a government that acts on behalf of Australian citizens who are being abused, tortured and raped, and actually acts in our interests,” he said.
The group said they were “absolutely appalled” by the consular assistance they received when they arrived in Istanbul from Israel.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir faced worldwide condemnation after posting a video in which he mocked detained activists crouching on the ground with their hands zipped behind their backs.
The Israeli army’s bombing of Gaza has killed more than 72,000 people and destroyed the region’s infrastructure, according to the United Nations World Food Programme.
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