On May 18, 2026, Israeli authorities arrested Andre Prasetyo Nugroho, an Indonesian journalist with Tempo, while aboard the Ozgurluk, a vessel in the Global Sumud Flotilla, an aid convoy attempting to break the blockade on Gaza.
He was among the flotilla participants deported to Istanbul, Turkey, on May 21, after three days and three nights in Israeli custody.
After his release, Tempo reported that Nugroho said he was in good health despite his numerous injuries, but added that some detainees had broken bones.
In a video posted to Instagram Nugroho said that once they were moved onto the larger military vessel, soldiers began calling them "terrorists" and beating the detainees. He also said he saw his colleague Thoudy Badai grow “limp … like he was about to die” and that his own hands had been tied so tightly behind his back that his blood circulation was cut off leaving marks on his wrists and causing him to feel faint.
Adalah, a Palestinian-run legal rights group representing some of the detainees, told CPJ that all detainees had faced alleged abuses, including restricted access to lawyers, humiliation, and violence.
In a video published on X, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir can be heard yelling, “welcome to Israel, we are the landlords,” while waving a large Israeli flag over dozens of detainees kneeling side by side on the floor, their hands tied behind their backs and their heads lowered to the ground. Another video shows security forces violently throwing a handcuffed activist to the ground after the activist shouts “free Palestine” at Ben Gvir. The minister also said the detainees should be imprisoned for “a long, long time.”
In response to an email requesting comment, the Israel Defense Forces told CPJ it “rejects allegations of abuse by IDF soldiers during the operations,” adding that any “concrete complaints submitted to the IDF on the matter will be examined thoroughly.” CPJ’s email requesting comment from the office of Ben-Gvir did not receive a response.