Greta Thunberg receiving ‘insufficient’ food and water, ‘harsh treatment’ after arrest — report

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, imprisoned in Israel after traveling on the Global Sumud Flotilla to break the blockade on Gaza, is being held in harsh conditions in an Israeli prison, according to correspondence between the Swedish foreign ministry and associates of the activist seen by the Guardian.

“The embassy has been able to meet with Greta,” an email sent by the ministry to those close to Thunberg reads. “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. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.”

“Another detainee reportedly told another embassy that they had seen her [Thunberg] being forced to hold flags while pictures were taken. She wondered whether images of her had been distributed,” the ministry says, according to the report.

Activists detained this week from the flotilla are being held at the Ketziot prison in the Negev.

In response to a query on the matter of forcing Thunberg to hold flags, an Israel Prison Service spokesman tells The Times of Israel the agency is “unaware of such an incident.”

Israel Defense Forces and Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment.