Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has told Swedish authorities that she was subjected to harsh conditions while in Israeli custody after being detained from a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, The Guardian reported on Saturday.
According to correspondence from the Swedish foreign ministry cited by the report, an embassy official who visited Thunberg in prison said she described being held in a cell infested with bedbugs and receiving insufficient food and water. “She informed of dehydration. She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs,” the email stated.
Thunberg also alleged that she was forced to sit on hard surfaces for extended periods and subjected to humiliating treatment, including being made to hold flags while photographs were taken. Her account was corroborated by two other members of the flotilla who were later released.
The Israeli navy had intercepted the Global Sumud flotilla on Friday, detaining 437 activists, parliamentarians, and lawyers who were attempting to deliver aid to Gaza in defiance of Israel’s long-standing maritime blockade.
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