The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation for torture on July 1st, following complaints from two people present on the Sumud flotilla, intercepted by Israel in October 2025. Among them, LFI MP Marie Mesmeur, who describes four days of detention marked by physical violence and deprivation.
The announcement came on Tuesday, July 21: the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) confirmed it had opened a preliminary investigation "on charges of torture as defined by the New York Convention" of December 10, 1984, for alleged acts that occurred "between October 1 and October 7, 2025." The investigation has been entrusted to the Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity (OCLCH).
This procedure follows complaints from two people who participated in the Sumud flotilla, intercepted by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean before being escorted to the port of Ashdod. One of the complainants is Marie Mesmeur, a member of parliament for La France Insoumise representing Ille-et-Vilaine, who says she spent nearly 24 hours detained on board the ship, then four days in detention in Israel.
The elected official describes conditions she calls degrading: deprivation of "food, water, and medical care," the continuous playback of images and music related to the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, in the prison courtyard, and a banner depicting "Gaza razed" accompanied by the words "New Gaza" in Arabic. She also claims that Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security, introduced himself by calling them "terrorists" and "child killers."
On a physical level, Marie Mesmeur claims to have been hit several times while trying to protect another detainee. "I was given 10 days of sick leave due to a cracked rib and bruises, hematomas, as a result of the actions of the Israeli guards," she told AFP, specifying that she filed a complaint "the very day" she returned to France.
Her lawyer, Raphaël Kempf, is demanding the appointment of an investigating judge. "The crimes committed against Marie Mesmeur are serious and must not go unpunished. She was arrested on the high seas and taken to Israel where she was imprisoned completely illegally," he stated. The plaintiffs are asking the justice system to trace the chain of responsibility, specifically mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ben Gvir.
This new investigation comes on top of an initial case opened in early June by the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) for torture and war crimes, following a report from the French Foreign Ministry (Quai d'Orsay) concerning the treatment of French nationals from another flotilla intercepted in May 2026. At that time, Ben Gvir published a video showing activists kneeling with their hands bound, provoking a wave of international condemnation. He has since been banned from entering France and Ireland.
Israeli military and prison authorities have rejected all of these accusations. France is not alone in having launched legal proceedings: Italy has opened a similar investigation, while Australia has announced an independent inquiry. Jean-Luc Mélenchon hailed on X as "an important achievement for the fight and for the image of France".
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