GSF: Lawyers Begin Consultations To Represent Malaysian Activists

SEPANG, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Lawyers from the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (ADALAH) have begun consultations to represent Malaysian activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) who are currently detained by Israel.

Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) director-general Datuk Dr Sani Araby Abdul Alim Araby said the legal team had met all 23 Malaysians involved.

"All of them (from Malaysia) are safe and in good health,” he told a media conference here today.

Yesterday, international media (Anadolu Agency), quoting a statement from ADALAH, reported that Israeli authorities had begun hearings regarding the detention and deportation orders of activists detained during the GSF mission at Ashdod Port.

According to the ADALAH statement, the process began without prior notice to lawyers and denied the activists access to legal representation, which amounted to a violation of due legal process and their fundamental rights.

ADALAH also confirmed that its legal team managed to gain entry into the port to meet the detained activists after initially being barred from gaining access by Israeli authorities.

Elaborating, Sani Araby said he could not confirm whether any of the Malaysian activists had undergone the hearing process, thus far.

"We cannot confirm this because the total number of participants (detained) is 495. It will surely take some time for us to verify. I think that for Malaysians, when the time (comes), our lawyers will have been given access to act as representatives,” he said.

The Malaysians detained are singer Heliza Helmi and her sister, Nur Hazwani Afiqah, who were aboard the vessel Hio; Nurfarahin Romli (Farah Lee) and Danish Nazran Murad (Grande Blu); singer Zizi Kirana (Huga); Musa Nuwayri, Iylia Balqis and Sul Aidil (Alma); Haikal Abdullah, Muaz Zainal, Zulfadhli Khiduddin and Rusydi Ramli (Sirius);

Razali Awang (Inana); influencer Nurul Hidayah Mohd Amin, also known as Ardell Aryana (Mikeno); PU Rahmat, Norhelmi Ab Ghani, Mohd Asmawi Mukhtar and Norazman Ishak (Estrella); Zainal Rashid and Ustaz Muhammad (Fair Lady); as well as Muhammad Hareez Adzrami (also known as Haroqs), Muhd Haikal Luqman Zulkefli and Taufiq Mohd Razif (Free Willy).

The GSF, comprising over 500 activists from 45 countries, is sailing toward Gaza as a symbol of solidarity and an effort to break the Israeli blockade.

-- BERNAMA