The detention of anti-Israel activist Reyes Rigo Cervilla, a Spanish citizen who participated in the flotilla to Gaza and is accused of assaulting a female medical staff member, was once again extended by Beersheba Magistrate's Court.
The activist's detention was extended by three days, despite the police's request to extend it by five. At the same time, the judge noted in his decision that "there may be a great deal of justice" in Cervilla's lawyer's claim that it would be better to deport her from Israel, but "this consideration is reserved for the accuser, and is not within the framework of the court's considerations.
Cervilla is suspected of refusing to leave the cell in which she was held in Keziot prison along with another activist from the flotilla for medical examinations required before her deportation. The two lay on the floor, hugging each other with one hand and holding onto the posts in the place with the other hand - and using their feet, they began to kick the guards.
A dental assistant who works at the Israeli Prison Service was asked to help them, and when she tried to pull Cervilla away, she bit her left palm. As a result, the guard received treatment and a tetanus shot. Cervilla was then arrested and transferred from Keziot Prison to Segev Shalom Station, where she was interrogated. The Beer Sheva Magistrate's Court then extended her detention by three days, until today.
The Spanish consul in Israel arrived for today's hearing, along with other representatives from the embassy. In the police request to extend the detention, Cervilla was accused of assaulting a public employee at Keziot Prison and assault causing actual bodily harm. On the other hand, the flotilla activist claims that she was attacked by prison guards, and denies that she bit the IPS employee. According to her, her flotilla companion was attacked by the Israeli team, and she tried to separate them.
A police representative said in the hearing that "since the previous extension of the detention, the suspect has been interrogated once again and continues to deny the charges against her. The investigating unit believed it had completed the investigation and forwarded the case to a prosecutor for review. Several investigation supplements were received, and the unit was asked to examine the suspect's claims that she was attacked by the guards. The case should be transferred to the Southern District Attorney's Office to examine this issue."
During the hearing, it emerged that there were photographs of the incident, and Sarvia's attorney, attorney Hal Abu Gharara, asked whether there was a viewing report. The police representative stated that the photographs were not in the hands of the investigative unit, which had not yet viewed them. The attorney also claimed that, according to Sarvia, "this was an attack on a friend of hers who was imprisoned with her in the same facility and she tried to help her."
A police source said that they are seeking to file an indictment against the Spanish activist, but no prosecutor's statement was filed in the case Wednesday. The police representative said that "other parties in the area are involved besides the investigative unit, who are working and helping the unit in the case to carry out actions. Two prosecutors have reviewed the case, one of whom is the head of the prosecution office."
Attorney Abu Gharara asked the court to order her release. "There is no indication in the case why she ended up in Ketziot prison," he claimed. "Her very arrival at Ketziot is illegal. It must be understood that this is a prison that does not even house terrorists. The conduct towards her is not typical of people without a criminal record, but rather came after a higher-up order to treat them as terrorists. The court should give its opinion on this matter. We are talking about the offense of assaulting a guard, and my client denies any connection to the assault." The lawyer further claimed that the fact that the investigators did not view the footage of the incident sets off a red light: "This is golden evidence in an event where each side presents a different version. This case has taken on more volume than it needed to."
3 View gallery
Reyes Rigo Cervilla, a flotilla activist who bit an IPS employee, during hearing on extension of detention, Beer Sheva Magistrate's Court
(Photo: Meir Even Haim)
Judge Amir Doron ruled as stated that "reasonable suspicion is sufficient," and noted that "I will clarify that no evidentiary infrastructure was presented that indicates that the suspect arrived at the detention facility illegally. There is a presumption of administrative correctness for the enforcement bodies. It seems that what is described in the action reports and testimonies in the investigation file indicates reasonable suspicion and even beyond that." The judge ruled that Servia should not be released as an alternative to detention, as she is not legally residing in Israel. "There may be great justice in preferring the deportation of the suspect to her remaining in Israel for the purpose of filing an indictment. However, this consideration is a consideration reserved for the accuser, and is not within the scope of the court's considerations," he ruled.
Mandela's grandson deported - and warmly received in South Africa
At the same time, Nelson Mandela's grandson, Zweliulila (Mandela) Mandela, who also arrived in Israel on the Gaza flotilla, landed in Johannesburg, South Africa, after being deported from Israel along with four other South Africans.
Mandela, who until recently served as a member of parliament for the ruling party in South Africa, became one of the most prominent voices against Israel about a decade ago, and among other things hosted Hamas representatives in Johannesburg, two months after the October 7 massacre.
Mandela was greeted at the airport by a crowd of supporters waving Palestinian flags. He claimed upon his arrival in South Africa that during his arrest during the flotilla takeover, "we were handcuffed with our hands behind our backs, taken off the boats, put on a stage and presented to everyone." He added, "But that's nothing compared to what Palestinians experience on a daily basis."