Considering the circumstances, things are going well again for Osman Tastan (63) from Steenbergen. The Gaza activist was arrested last week while sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla off the Greek coast. He was on his way to Gaza to deliver aid. He returned home on Sunday because his injuries were bothering him too much.
Osman has recently been reached by telephone again. For his trip, he had specially bought a mobile phone that he could throw into the water if he were arrested. He received a new SIM card on Monday.
“I was badly damaged,” he says. Together with other passengers, he was arrested by Israel between Italy and Greece. “We were kidnapped and taken to their prison ship. There we were abused for two days.” After two days the group was released, except for two men.
“They kick you, push you, with every action you were humiliated and abused.”
“They were heavy-handed in the kidnapping,” he continues. “We were given zip ties around our wrists behind our backs, pushed to our knees and then roughly taken to their ship.” That’s where the ‘party’ started. “They kick you, push you, you were humiliated and abused in every action. Staying there was no fun.”
According to Osman, conditions on the ship were poor. Those on board had to sleep in three containers; anyone who didn’t fit in was left outside. “There were thin mats in it. They had deliberately sprayed them wet.” Coats were also taken away during interrogations. “Then you were in a T-shirt in the cold.”
The second day ‘games’ were played. “The door was opened with a lot of noise, they threw sandwiches and water inside. “People kept being dragged away for interrogation.”
“If you were in pain, they went even further.”
Two passengers, Palestinian Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian Thiago Ávila, did not return after such an interrogation. “In the evening we demanded that they return and that otherwise we would no longer listen to their orders. We chanted that. They then made fun of us, raised middle fingers and started dancing to our rhythm.”
The next morning the group of thirty to forty people chanted again. “One by one we were dragged outside. Then we were really abused: pushed to the ground, kicked, beaten, hands bent, so that our shoulders almost dislocated. If you were in pain, they went even further.”
“I’m not going to give in to terrorism.”
Osman himself was left with a damaged nose and bruised ribs, arms and legs. Afterwards, he and the other activists were handed over to the Greek coast guard. He’s worried about Abukeshek and Ávila. “They are abused anyway,” says Osman. “I heard they said: we are going to destroy your body so much that you will never be able to do such an action again.”
Osman is disappointed in Europe. “We have been peaceful. It is scandalous that we are arrested at the borders of Europe by a country that has no business being there. It is a terrorist act and Europe could have prevented it, but did nothing.”
The activist says he will not let what happened stop him. “They can’t stop me, this is one of the priorities in my life.” First he wants to recover from his injuries, then he wants to commit himself to Gaza again. “I’m not going to give in to terrorism.”
It is not the first time that Osman has been with the relief fleet. Also in October he went on one of the ships together with Ammar from Eindhoven. The activist fleet was intercepted by the Israeli army at the time. The two activists were held in prison, were released and returned to the Netherlands. Osman: “I am now in the system and would be banned for a hundred years.”
Anass Mohamed from Best was also on the fleet. He was also arrested, but unlike Osman he was unharmed. The third Brabander on the ship was Pieter Rambags, but he returned earlier due to family circumstances.
Cerisa van Kesteren, born in Cuijk, is still on the road with a fleet that left later.
