Dozens of protesters took to the streets of central Tunis on Saturday demanding the release of four Global Sumud Flotilla activists detained in a financial investigation, as fears mount over the deteriorating health of one of the detainees who has been on hunger strike for more than a month.
The protesters marched from the headquarters of the Tunisian National Journalists’ Union to Avenue Habib Bourguiba, carrying Tunisian and Palestinian flags as well as portraits of the four detainees.
They called for the immediate release of Wael Naouar, Ghassen Henchiri, Ghassen Boughdiri and Nabil Channoufi, while demanding an end to the legal proceedings against them.
The demonstration also featured anti-government chants, including calls against what protesters described as repression, political restrictions and the suppression of popular solidarity with Palestinians.
The protest came days after a Tunisian court extended the pre-trial detention of the four activists by another four months. They have been held since March in connection with an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving fundraising activities linked to the flotilla.
Tunisian state media, citing judicial sources, reported that the investigation centres on alleged financial violations. The four activists and their defence team have denied wrongdoing, while their supporters contend that the prosecution is part of a broader campaign against civil society and political dissent.
Naouar, a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla steering committee and a former secretary-general of Tunisia’s General Students Union, began an open-ended hunger strike on August 16 in protest against his continued detention.
The other three detainees joined the hunger strike on September 9, according to statements from their supporters and the Global Sumud Flotilla, intensifying concerns over their health and the consequences of their prolonged detention.
Ghassen Bouaazi, a member of the National Committee for the Defence of Sumud Flotilla Activists, said Naouar’s condition had deteriorated considerably after about 35 days on hunger strike.
According to Al Jazeera, Bouaazi said Naouar had suffered repeated fainting, breathing difficulties and hallucinations, and had lost more than 20kg. He warned that the detainee was facing a serious threat to his health.
The committee accused the authorities of failing to adequately address the situation and said President Kais Saied and his government would bear political, legal and moral responsibility for any harm suffered by the detainees.
Bouaazi called on the authorities to close the case, describing the accusations against the activists as “dubious claims”. He also alleged that financial-crime and money-laundering charges had been used in other cases involving activists, journalists, rights defenders and trade unionists.
Supporters further accused the authorities of using the case to criminalise independent popular support for Palestinians. They also questioned the independence of Tunisia’s judicial system, allegations the government has rejected.
The Global Sumud Flotilla is an international campaign that sought to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian assistance. The detention of the Tunisian activists has consequently attracted attention among supporters of the Palestinian cause both inside and outside the country.
The latest protest followed a statement by former members of the General Students Union and activists from different generations of Tunisia’s student movement, who demanded the immediate release of the four detainees.
The group urged student organisations, trade unions, rights groups and other civil society organisations to mobilise around the case, while holding the government responsible for the safety of the hunger strikers.
Nidhal Khadraoui, another former secretary-general of the student union, said the detainees remained determined to continue their hunger strike until they were released. He also claimed that Henchiri required urgent surgery following complications from an injury sustained during his detention in Israel, despite a prison doctor’s recommendation.
The case has unfolded against wider concerns over the shrinking space for civil society in Tunisia. Human Rights Watch has criticised the government’s use of financial, anti-money-laundering and counterterrorism legislation against activists and civil society actors, while also raising concerns over prolonged pre-trial detention and the concentration of presidential power since 2021.
Saied’s government has rejected accusations that the judiciary is being used to silence opponents, maintaining that the judiciary is independent and that legal proceedings are conducted according to the law. Meanwhile, supporters of the four activists have vowed to continue their campaign, warning that further demonstrations could follow if the detainees remain in custody.
