{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-duckworth-van-hollen-markey-merkley-ask-trump-state-department-to-explain-apparent-neglect-of-american-citizens-detained-from-global-sumud-flotilla", "Warren, Duckworth, Van Hollen, Markey, Merkley Ask Trump State Department to Explain Apparent Neglect of American Citizens Detained from Global Sumud Flotilla", "2025-10-09", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Duckworth, Van Hollen, Markey, Merkley Ask Trump State Department to Explain Apparent Neglect of American Citizens Detained from Global Sumud Flotilla\n\nTrump State Department has failed to explain why \u201cit took the U.S. embassy four days \u2013 longer than other governments whose citizens were detained \u2013 to visit and assess the care of American citizens.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat steps will the State Department take to independently evaluate the accusations of mistreatment towards American citizens on the Global Sumud Flotilla?\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) wrote to the Department of State (State Department) requesting an explanation for the department\u2019s failure to provide timely consular services to American citizens who were detained while on the Global Sumud Flotilla.\n\nLast week, Israeli military forces boarded the flotilla boats, which set sail from Spain in September with the goal of delivering food to citizens of Gaza, and began detaining activists, including a number of European lawmakers.\n\nDetained individuals allege that they faced \u201csleep and medication deprivation, beatings, having automatic rifles pointed at their heads, dogs set upon them, [and] having to sleep on the floor.\u201d Others reported a \u201clack of water and food,\u201d and that they were \u201clocked in a cage,\u201d \u201cdragged\u201d on the ground, \u201cblindfolded,\u201d and subjected to \u201crestricted religious practice.\u201d Another individual from the flotilla reported that \u201che had been slapped and had his arm dislocated and head slammed into the ground.\u201d Legal experts have raised concerns that Israel may have violated international law by intercepting the flotilla, raising serious questions about the legitimacy of these detentions.\n\nIt appears it took State Department officials four days \u2014 longer than other governments, including Switzerland and Italy, whose citizens were also detained \u2014 to visit and assess the care of American citizens. To date, the State Department has failed to provide an explanation for the delay and failure to independently assess reports of the treatment of detainees in a timely manner. Most members of the flotilla, including constituents from Massachusetts, Maryland, Oregon, and Illinois, have reportedly been released.\n\n\u201cWe are also disturbed by reports that those detained were pressured to forfeit their due process rights by making their release contingent on admitting guilt for entering Israel illegally,\u201d the Senators wrote. \u201cWhat steps will the State Department take to independently evaluate the accusations of mistreatment towards American citizens on the Global Sumud Flotilla?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe continue to urge the State Department to do everything in its power to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, force Hamas to release the hostages, and continue to advance a two-state solution to produce a lasting peace,\u201d the senators concluded.\n\nThe lawmakers requested, that to inform their legislative responsibilities related to the State Department generally and to determine whether existing laws and policies to secure the release of detained Americans are sufficient, the State Department provide answers, by October 14, 2025, about the apparent delay in visiting detained American citizens, whether there was a delay in authorization from the Israeli government to visit the American citizens, whether the department was aware of allegations of abuse of American citizens during their detention, and how the department will independently evaluate the accusations of mistreatment of American citizens in Israeli detention.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-duckworth-van-hollen-markey-merkley-ask-trump-state-department-to-explain-apparent-neglect-of-american-citizens-detained-from-global-sumud-flotilla"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0579591616988182, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}