 McKinney has served as a Democrat in the US House of Representatives from 1993–2003 and 2005–2007. |
Israeli Navy detained former US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and twenty other human rights activists on board a relief boat outside Israel's territorial waters on Tuesday as they were heading to Gaza on a humanitarian mission.
Tel Aviv claims the boat was trying to break Israel's two-year siege on Gaza.
Ms Cynthia McKinney -- the 2008 Green Party nominee for President of the United States-- has accused Tel Aviv of violating the international law by seizing an aid vessel in international waters.
"This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip," Cynthia McKinney said in a statement.
"We are asking the international community to demand our release so we can continue our journey," she added.
"My wife and I are very concerned about her safety," Cynthia McKinney's father told Press TV in a phone call.
Bill McKinney said that the US government should support Cynthia's message and added, "Her major concern is human."
Green Party leaders have called on the White House and the US State Department to intervene and demand the immediate release of all the activists.
On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned of dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying 1.5 million Palestinians living in the coastal sliver are 'trapped in despair' because of the continuing Israeli blockade on the territory.
Since June 2007, when Israel imposed a blockade on the territory, no raw material has entered Gaza, stalling any attempt to rebuild the strip.
According to the humanitarian agency report, seriously ill patients were not receiving the treatment they needed and thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed during Israel's three-week Christmas war were still without shelter.
Urban Iulian.ro:
Aceasta este povestea lui Cynthia McKinney, care a reusit sa povesteasca din inchisoarea israeliana din Ramle, cum se defineste in zilele noastre si imbraca in haine democratice, abuzul crunt impotriva drepturile omului.
Sunt unul din cei 21 de activisti din Fasia Gaza, inchisi pentru ca am incercat sa acordam asistenta medicala, hrana sau creioane pentru copii; am avut o geanta plina cu creioane pentru copii. In timp ce noi ne indreptam catre Gaza, militarii israelieni au amenintat ca vor trage in barca noastra, insa nu ne-am intors. Atunci, am fost interceptati si arestati pentru ca vroiam sa ducem creioane si medicamente copiilor din Gaza. Suntem tinuti in arest, fara sa fim judecati, din decembrie 2008 doar pentru ca vroiam sa executam o misiune umanitara. In toata aceasta perioada am fost torturata de gardienii israelieni, si mi s-a sugerat ca suferinta mea se termina daca marturisesc ca am comis crime si ca am atacat si ucis militari evrei. Acum nu mai exist ca persoana. Numele meu este 88794. Ce fel de democratie apara USA si UE la nivel mondial daca eu zac in temnita pentru vina ca am dus creioane si medicamente copiilor ?Ce fel de crima este asta ? Semnez : Cynthia McKinney, fosta fiinta umana, actualul prizonier cu numarul 88794. Un numar atat a mai ramas din mine, exact cum faceau nazistii acum 70 de ani cu israelienii, care par acum sa doreasca sa se razbune pe orice prin aceleasi metode ale nazistilor; 2 iulie 2009, Ramle"
Scrisoare trimisa in USA lui Alex Jones
I was brought to Israel against my will. I am being held in this prison because I had a dream that Gaza’s children could color and paint, that Gaza’s wounded could be healed, and that Gaza’s bombed-out houses could be rebuilt.
Via: Telegraph:
The group were on board an aid boat carrying humanitarian supplies near the Gaza coast when they were seized in international waters, according to the Free Gaza Movement.
The small boat Spirit of Humanity was on its way to deliver medical supplies to Gaza when it was allegedly stopped by Israeli warships this morning with threats of gunfire.
The people on board who were “forcibly” taken to Israel included eight from Britain and Ireland as well as fellow activists from the US, Denmark and the Middle East.
The Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports and was trying to clarify the facts, including from the Israeli authorities.
A spokeswoman said: “We would be concerned if the stories of the Israeli Navy boarding the boat in international waters were true.
“We have made it clear to Israel that we are very concerned for the safety of British nationals.”
Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire and former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney were among the group on the ship, taking aid to Gaza in the aftermath of its bombardment by Israel.
Their fellow activists included Ishmahil Blagrove, a Jamaican-born journalist based in the UK; Derek Graham, an Irish electrician: the ship’s captain Denis Healey from the UK; British journalist Fathi Jaouadi; Alex Harrison, a British woman; Theresa McDermott from Scotland; Adnan Mormech from the UK; and Ms Maguire.
A friend of Mr Mormech, 30, from Rusholme, Manchester, said she was worried for the activist, who recently completed a master’s degree at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Sarah Gould, 27, a student from London, said: “I’m very concerned for his safety as apparently the Israeli boats were threatening to shoot at them.
“The group was prepared but obviously they were extremely vulnerable – a boat of unarmed civilians surrounded by Israeli military vessels.
“They put themselves at an incredible amount of personal risk because they feel so strongly about this as absolutely necessary.
“Adie is now not going to get that opportunity to do that work that is so very much needed.”
Mr Mormech’s MP Gerald Kaufman hopes to raise what has happened during Prime Minister’s Questions tomorrow, the Free Gaza Movement said.
The group said their boat was carrying medical and reconstruction supplies as well as children’s toys and could not possibly constitute any sort of threat to Israel.
The vessel was searched and received security clearance from the Cypriot Port Authorities before departing and never approached Israeli waters, they said.
Ms Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland, said in a statement: “The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught.”
Her fellow passenger Ms McKinney, a former US presidential candidate, said: “This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip.
“We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”
The UK wants Israel to open the crossings into Gaza for humanitarian aid and has “repeatedly” raised this issue with the Israeli government, the Foreign Office said.
British people are advised not to travel to Gaza, including its waters.
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