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Turkiye urges Israel to release detained lawmakers
Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry has called for the release of three lawmakers detained after Israeli forces intercepted all nine boats of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition heading for Gaza to challenge a naval blockade.
The ministry slammed the Israeli interception as an “act of piracy”, describing it as “an attack on civil activists, including Turkish citizens and members of parliament”.
“This is a serious violation of international law. Our three MPs and all activists illegally detained must be released immediately and unconditionally,” Sena Nur Celik Kanat, a lawmaker from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, told the AFP news agency.
Celik Kanat was among more than 80 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe who signed a letter calling for the activists’ release.
Turkish parliament demands release of citizens detained by Israel
Turkish citizens, including members of parliament, must not be mistreated and must be released and allowed to return to Turkiye, the Turkish parliament has warned. The warning came in a motion passed unanimously by the parliament condemning Israel’s attacks on humanitarian aid flotillas bound for Gaza.
“Israel, adding another to its ongoing history of genocide and other war crimes, attacked the [Global] Sumud Flotilla, a civilian and peaceful initiative, in international waters, obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, and once again recklessly violating international law,” the motion said.
