In the same statement, the former President of the Assembly of the Republic defended “An effective action for immediate deliverance and repatriation of detainees”demanding from the Portuguese government and the European Union “a formal protest with Israel” by the way they are being treated.
Socialist Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues considered this Saturday “incomprehensible” the silence of the current president of Parliament on Portuguese activists detained in Israel and “irresponsible” the accusation of the defense minister that they are supporters of terrorists.
“The silence of the current President of the Assembly of the Republic (Par) is incomprehensible to the situation in which the national citizens are, namely a deputy elected by the Portuguese,” said Ferro Rodrigues in a statement sent to Lusa agency.
The coordinator of the Left Bloc, Mariana Mortágua, actress Sofia Aparício and activists Miguel Duarte and Diogo Chaves are among the more than 450 participants in the humanitarian mission detained by the Israeli forces, which intercepted the approximately 50 vessels that were part of the flotilla between Wednesday and Thursday.
In the same statement, the former President of the Assembly of the Republic defended “An effective action for immediate deliverance and repatriation of detainees”demanding from the Portuguese government and the European Union “a formal protest with Israel” by the way they are being treated.
Deputy Mariana Mortágua sent, through the Portuguese diplomatic representation in Israel, a message to the family, in which it complains that they were kept without food and without water and are being mistreated, which motivated a protest from the Portuguese government with the Israeli ambassador in Lisbon.
Ferro Rodrigues claimed to be reassured to hear the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, to ensure that the government would do everything so that the Portuguese were released and repatriated as soon as possible, but criticized Defense Minister Nuno Melo for accused activists of terrorist supporters.
“The accusation of Nuno Melo, of enormous gravity and irresponsibility, seems to ignore the danger that the activists run-and was well illustrated by the degrading treatment that the Minister of National Security of Israel, Ben-Gvir, gave them, filming them kneeling and calling them terrorists and supporters of killers,” he said.
Ferro Rodrigues recalled that Ben-Gvir has the protection of the Israeli prison system, maintaining that “the way they treated those who are at this time illegally prisoners of Israel must fear us for what it can happen.”
