‘OUR ship carried two desalination machines, bricks and roof-tiles, 250 electric vehicles for disabled persons, a forklift truck donated by the Elefsina dockworkers and school students’ bags; we wanted to give these to the Palestinians in Gaza.’
That was stated in a press conference in Athens on Tuesday by four members of the Greek ‘A Ship for Gaza Committee’ who had been abducted from the Freedom Flotilla and then put in an Israeli prison.
The four, Aris Papadokostopoulos, Michalis Grigoropoulos, Dimitris Gelalis and Thanos Petroyiannis, condemned the stand of the Greek government and the barbaric treatment they received in the hands of the Zionist army.
‘The Greek state was completely absent,’ the four stated. ‘The Greek state gave Greek ground to a foreign state. All the efforts by the captains of the two Greek ships to communicate with the Greek Foreign Ministry failed; they just would not lift the receiver up.
‘They stated that once captured and imprisoned, Israeli soldiers kept on beating them up and in some cases electrocuting them with special devices.
‘We saw Vangelis Pissias beaten up by 10 soldiers. We had guns continuously placed right next to our heads. They took everything from us bar the clothes we were wearing and our passports. Cameras etc. were confiscated.’
‘The four gave a terrifying testimony of the medical aid offered by the Israeli authorities.
‘At some point Israeli “doctors” appeared wearing masks – we could see only their eyes – accompanied by soldiers who were videoing everything.
‘Some prisoners were so badly beaten up that they were trembling severely; then these “doctors” injected them with something. When these prisoners calmed down, beating resumed. The Israelis wanted us all to confess that we were terrorists.’
The four also stated that ‘only diplomats from the US Embassy were allowed in the prison and talked only to Americans. The rest of us had to endure psychological warfare in isolation.’
The four were deported from Israel to Athens after being forced to sign statements which were printed only in Hebrew.
The ‘Greek Ship to Gaza’ organisation stated that the Israeli commandos attacked the Turkish vessel ‘Mavi Marmara’ first; then they attacked the two small Greek boats ‘Sfendoni’ and ‘Eleftheri Mesogeios’ ‘with live rounds… with helicopters and inflatable boats.’
Last Tuesday afternoon the Greek Ambassador to Israel, Kyriakos Loukakis, was allowed into the Birshiba prison where he asked the prison authorities for treatment for Vangelis Pissias who was beaten up again viciously by policemen at the port of Ashdod.
About 15 Greek nationals, including three journalists, are still in prison. Following the Greek Ambassador’s visit they were allowed to make just one phone call only in English. They said that the Zionist authorities demand that they should sign documents accepting full responsibility for what has happened to them.
In Tel-Aviv, Lea Cemel, a lawyer and well-known human rights activist, said that she visited the five Greek women in prison and they were well; but she was not allowed to talk to the Greek men who were imprisoned.
The Zionist murderous raid on the Freedom Flotilla was condemned on Tuesday by the Greek Head of State President Karolos Papoulias. He said that, ‘Israel’s act, was an illegal act and outside the boundaries of International Law. It overthrows the peace process and creates conditions of extreme tension in the area.’
It has now emerged that the joint Greek-Israeli Air Force exercises began a day following the sailing of the two Greek Freedom Flotilla ships to Gaza.
The exercise was called off only after the Israeli raid on the Flotilla. Greek trade unions have organised a protest rally in Athens for this Thursday followed by a march to the Zionist Embassy.
