Ten activists from the , among whom is the Spanish journalist Alicia Armesto, have been detained in Libya since May 24 at 3:30 p.m., when contact was lost. As reported by the organization, the group was illegally intercepted “by a security force affiliated with the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) and remain in the custody of the Government of National Stability (GNS) authorities in eastern Libya”.
Sources from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirm El HuffPost that “The Spanish embassy in Libya is following the case and will send the consul as soon as the Libyan authorities allow it. to provide all the assistance that the affected Spanish woman may need.” From the Global Sumud Flotilla they have added that, despite the diplomatic efforts aimed at the release of the activists, “so far no satisfactory results have been obtained.”
The ten members of the convoy, civilians from eight countries, were detained when “they were heading to a checkpoint to deliver the documentation required by the authorities in order to continue the mission journey”. They reached that point after having crossed the “5+5” security zone, the Libyan territory controlled by a committee in which the different warring factions in the country participate.
Alicia Armesto, 62 years old and journalist member of the Madrid Journalists Unionrecorded a video before his departure in case this happened, as all activists on these missions usually do. “If you are watching this video, it means that I have been detained or kidnapped while participating in the international humanitarian land caravan bound for Gaza. I confirm that I participated in this mission of my own free will, without any coercion or pressure, motivated by my humanitarian and moral duty towards the besieged civilian population. If you lose contact with me, I call on the free peoples of the world, my Government, human rights organizations and the media to act urgently, reveal our whereabouts and put pressure to achieve our liberation and guarantee our protection,” says Armesto.
Alongside her, detained are Laura Kwoczala (Poland); Jenelle Jones (USA); Lucas Ezequiel Aguilera and Maria Paula Gimenez (Argentina); Matthias Alvarez Rodriguez (Uruguay); Ana Margaret France Santana Baptista (Portugal); Ashraf Jewelery (Tunisia); and Domenico Centrone and Leonarda Albezia (Italy).
On May 25, the Global Sumud Flotilla land convoy, made up entirely of approximately 250 participants from more than 20 countries, was “forcibly evacuated by Western Libyan military forces 10 kilometers from the city of Sirte, in eastern Libya”. As the organization denounced, the camp was “evicted through the use of force.” “Our participants were put on buses and military escorted to the city of Misrata. […] During the intervention, the military forces fired into the air as a warning, tear gas was used and physical violence was applied,” they denounced.
