Athens (AFP)-a U.S. vessel intercepted after it tried to defy a ban and sail to Gaza from Greece were held in "appalling conditions" on Sunday and have not received consular assistance, said a lawyer.
Captain John Klusmer was arrested, when U.S. boat Audacity of hope--the flagship of a flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists--attempted to leave the Greek waters Friday after Athens prohibited all Gaza-bound ships from setting sail.
Klusmer was charged with a crime and ordered to appear in court on Tuesday. The US boat to Gaza organisation said he was kept imprisoned in "appalling conditions" and, as far as it was aware, had not yet received consular assistance.
New York lawyer Richard Levy--a passenger on the boat, which has visited Klusmer in prison in a port city near Athens--told furious U.S. activists that "he had no bed or toilet in his cell, and receive no food or water".
"We have offered to pay his bail, '' said passenger Robert Naiman, from the Washington-based foreign policy organization. "But we have had no indication at all that he would be allowed out of prison before Tuesday."
U.S. Embassy in Athens was not available for comment.
Audacity of hope--transporting 3,000 letters in support of the Palestinians--set sail without warning, leaving nine other ships that had hoped to sail together to challenge the Isræls blockade on Gaza.
It was quickly captured by a Coast Guard vessel with the masked, armed men on board. After a two-hour stand-off, the boat returned to a small naval port.
Passengers were free to go but originally chose to remain on board in spite of the Greek authorities.
Sunday morning they were back in Athens, "do what we can to help the captain", including "reached to members of Congress" help get Klusmer released or improve the conditions in which he is held.
Flotilla has been plagued by bureaucratic problems and two cases of "sabotage" over the last week and only four of the first ten both--two French, one Spanish and one Canadian--were in the running Sunday.
Organizers said three of the boats planned to set sail Monday morning, despite the Greek ban is in place "until further notice". Activists said they had "resigned" message content from being intercepted by the coast guard.
A fourth boat, French dignity, was going to try to sail on Sunday, but was thought to be heading to Crete, not Gaza.
The ships will sail illegally, because they have not resolved a number of bureaucratic problems, and some have had central documents confiscated by the Greek authorities.
Israel credited its "diplomatic efforts" for delays and setbacks, which have kept the vessels grounded.
"I welcome all the efforts made to stop the flotilla," said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman Lieberman on Sunday.
"Success ... is the fruit of intensive contacts with States of the region and the international community," he said.
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