24 Convicted in Yorkshire Abuse Case, Sentenced to 346 Years

News Desk 

Islamabad: In Britain, 24 individuals implicated in the sexual exploitation of 8 girls have been handed a combined sentence of 346 years in prison.

These egregious acts of abuse, exploitation, and trafficking took place in the West Yorkshire area of England spanning from 1996 to 2012.

British media reports that the restriction on disclosing the identities of the accused has been lifted.

Latest: https://thepenpk.com/inside-the-gaza-flotilla-detentions-that-shocked-the-world/

When 21-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg boarded the Global Sumud Flotilla last week, she joined hundreds of international peace campaigners hoping to symbolically challenge Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza.

Days later, she and 450 others were detained, accused of attempting to “aid terrorism,” and thrust into an ordeal that activists now describe as “brutal, humiliating, and inhumane.”

On Monday, Israel confirmed the deportation of 171 activists to Greece and Slovakia, including Thunberg, after several days of detention that have ignited international outrage and triggered protests in multiple countries.

“We were treated like monkeys”

Accounts from the deported activists depict a grim picture of their treatment in custody. Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi told the Associated Press that detainees were mocked, harassed, and denied medical care. “We were treated like monkeys,” he said. “They wouldn’t let us look them in the eye — and when we did, we were hit.”

His compatriot, Lorenzo D’Agostino, described being forced to kneel for hours while soldiers pointed laser sights and unleashed dogs to intimidate detainees.

“They made us stay on our knees for four hours,” he recalled after arriving in Istanbul. “If you raised your head, you got slapped.”

Another Italian activist, Cesare Tofani, speaking at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, echoed similar experiences: “From the army to the police, there was harassment. We were treated terribly.”

Malaysian sisters: “We drank from toilet water”

Among those deported were Malaysian singers and humanitarian activists Heliza and Hazwani Helmi, who described “brutal” detention conditions in an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.

“Can you imagine — we drank from the toilet water?” Hazwani said tearfully. “Some people were very sick, and they [the Israelis] said, ‘Are they dead? If not, that’s not my problem.’”

Her sister Heliza added that detainees were deprived of food for days. “I ate on October 1. Today is my first meal,” she said on October 4. “For three days, I did not eat — only drank from the toilet.”