AhlulBayt News Agency: Reyes Rigo Cervilla, a 56-year-old Spanish national who participated in the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla earlier this month, is set to be deported via Jordan today, Sunday, after being pressured into signing a confession admitting to assaulting an Israeli prison guard.
The activist stated that her actions were in self-defense, claiming she and her companion were mistreated during their detention.
Before her deportation, Cervilla will be required to pay a fine of 10,000 shekels, equivalent to approximately $3,055.
Hebrew media reported that Israeli prosecutors initially accused Cervilla of biting a guard while being escorted back to her cell at Ketziot prison, an allegation she firmly denied.
Prosecutors later revised the charges, stating in an amended indictment submitted to the Beersheba magistrate’s court that Cervilla had scratched the officer while resisting entry into her cell.
Her lawyer told The Times of Israel that Cervilla had to plead guilty in order to return home, emphasizing that she acted in self-defense and that the prison guard had been violent toward her and her friend.
The lawyer also revealed that Israeli police possess video footage of the incident, which allegedly shows the guard’s aggressive behavior toward Cervilla and her companion.
During a court hearing, Cervilla testified that she was subjected to physical abuse by prison guards while in custody.
“They beat me, pushed us repeatedly,” she told the court. “Contrary to the official account, they attacked my friend, and I tried to protect her. When I reached her, they grabbed my head and knocked off my glasses. After being shoved from all directions, I got up from the floor,” Cervilla recounted.
She further described being confined in an overcrowded cell for an entire day. “There were 14 women in a cell meant for five. We weren’t given water, the food smelled bad, we were shoved and hit, and I didn’t receive what I needed,” she said.
Cervilla’s testimony echoed the experiences shared by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and other Sumud flotilla participants, who also reported repeated mistreatment by Israeli guards during their detention. /129
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