Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A UK-registered charity said on Tuesday it will file suit in Britain on behalf of activists detained by Israel two weeks ago after a fatal Israeli raid in May on an aid convoy en route to Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported.
Mary Nazzal-Batayneh, president of the Palestine Legal Aid Fund (PLAF), told AFP her group would represent those passengers "wishing to assert their rights through legal action against Israel."
Six internationally renowned lawyers have already joined the legal team, Nazzal-Batayneh said which "will launch a court case in the name of the hundreds of activists illegally abducted and imprisoned, many of whom were beaten and wounded and nearly all their belongings confiscated," AFP quoted her as saying.
Legal action will also be filed on behalf of the families of the nine Turkish activists killed during the raid, the report read.
"A trial should be held in Britain based on the British legal system. It could be transferred if necessary," Nazzal-Batayneh added, without giving further details, the AFP wrote.
The British initiative follows news that French activists who took part in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla are to file suit against Israel over allegations of war crimes committed during the raid in international water, bringing the case before the International Criminal Court.
Meanwhile, Israeli-Swedish peace activist and artist Dror Feiler said last Saturday he would file suit against Israel for assault and false imprisonment.
Israeli forces raided a six-vessel aid fleet in international waters on 31 May, killing nine and injuring dozens more, as they attempted to dock at the Gaza port to deliver goods Israel has barred for entry into the coastal enclave.
The ships were diverted to Ashdod, where over 600 participants were detained by Israel, alleging illegal entry into the state.
Global condemnation for the attack, and calls for an independent probe, were followed with demands that Israel lift its blockade of Gaza.
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