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Original article: NODAL acude a la ONU por investigadores secuestrados en Libia: llevan 48 horas incomunicados rumbo a Gaza

NODAL has submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, regarding the kidnapping of ten members from the Global Sumud Maghreb humanitarian convoy heading towards Gaza. Among those detained are two Argentine citizens, research directors for NODAL, who have been out of contact for 48 hours after being intercepted by eastern Libyan forces at a military checkpoint near Sirte.

Among those kidnapped are psychologist Paula Giménez and veterinarian Lucas Aguilera, both Argentinians and research directors at NODAL, who were performing duties within the accompanying medical team.

The complete list includes Matías Álvarez Rodríguez (Uruguay), Alicia Armesto Núñez (Spain), Domenico Centrone (Italy), Leonarda Alberizia (Italy), Ana Margarida França Santana Baptista (Portugal), Lauro Kwoczala (Poland), Ashraf Khoja (Tunisia), and Jenelle Jones (United States), as noted in a statement.

Global Sumud has publicly denounced the detainment and demanded the immediate release of the delegation members, while also alerting on social media that the convoy faced a violent attack during the operation and that the activists were forced to abandon the location.

NODAL Demands Immediate Response from the Argentine State and the International Community

NODAL has been pushing for urgent diplomatic interventions through the Argentine Foreign Ministry to activate all consular networks.

«The protection of Argentine citizens abroad is not a political option nor a circumstantial diplomatic gesture, but an inescapable responsibility of the Argentine State and a fundamental obligation of exercising public duty,» stated political analyst Matías Caciabue, who is part of NODAL, in a message shared on his social media.

The Unión por la Patria bloc and the Human Rights Commission of Parlasur also submitted a formal note to Argentine President Javier Milei’s administration demanding guarantees for the detained individuals.

This demand garnered support from Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel; Taty Almeida (Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Founder Line); Tilda Rabi, president of the Federation of Argentine-Palestinian Entities; Rafael Araya Masry, president of the Palestinian Confederation, as well as deputies, journalists, representatives of human rights advocacy organizations, among other prominent figures.

The situation is exacerbated by a recent precedent: Israeli forces intercepted Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) vessels in international waters of the Mediterranean, during which 428 activists were kidnapped, including four Chileans: Víctor Chanfreau, Carolina Eltit, Claudio Caiozzi, and Ignacio Ladrón de Guevara, the latter traveling with a Spanish passport and part of the Spanish delegation.

These civilians were released following international outrage and pressure from human rights organizations against the illegal detentions, physical assaults, and degrading treatment. Now, with ten activists out of communication in Libya, the international community fears a repetition of those episodes.

NODAL and humanitarian organizations demand immediate and verifiable information about the abducted individuals, guarantees for their physical integrity, restoration of communication, free movement of the convoy, and strict adherence to international humanitarian law as protected by the Fourth Geneva Convention.

«The retention and lack of communication with Argentine citizens and members of an international humanitarian mission require an immediate response from the Argentine State and the international community,» they emphasized.

La entrada NODAL Appeals to the UN for Kidnapped Researchers in Libya: 48 Hours Without Communication Heading to Gaza se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.