Tunisian protesters demand release of four Sumud activists

Tunis, Tunisia – Dozens of people protested in Tunis on Saturday demanding the release of four Global Sumud Flotilla activists, as concern mounts over their deteriorating health after one of them entered his second month of a hunger strike.

The protesters marched from the headquarters of the Tunisian National Journalists’ Union (SNJT) to Avenue Habib Bourguiba in central Tunis, carrying Tunisian and Palestinian flags and portraits of the four detainees and calling for their release and an end to the case against them.

They also chanted anti-government slogans, including: “No fear, no terror, the street belongs to the people”, “Down with the president’s repression, down with the oppression of the people”, and “Your narrative is a Zionist one, you agents of imperialism.”

The demonstration came days after a court extended the pre-trial detention of Wael Naouar, Ghassen Henchiri, Ghassen Boughdiri and Nabil Channoufi by another four months. They have been held since March in an investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to fundraising for the flotilla, according to Tunisian state media, citing judicial sources.

The four activists and their defence team deny wrongdoing, while supporters say the case is part of a wider crackdown on civil society and political dissent.

Naouar, a member of the flotilla’s steering committee, began an open-ended hunger strike on August 16 to protest his detention. The other three joined him on September 9, according to statements from supporters and the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Ghassen Bouaazi, a member of the National Committee for the Defence of Sumud Flotilla Activists, said Naouar’s health had deteriorated significantly.

“Wael Naouar has been on hunger strike for about 35 days and his health has deteriorated considerably,” Bouaazi told Al Jazeera on the sidelines of Saturday’s protest.

He said Naouar had experienced repeated fainting, difficulty breathing and hallucinations and had lost more than 20kg (44lb).

“There is now a real danger threatening him,” Bouaazi said, adding that the committee holds President Kais Saied and his government politically, legally and morally responsible for any harm that might come to the detainees.

“We demand that the authorities close this case once and for all,” Bouaazi said, describing the accusations against the four activists as “dubious claims”.

He described the arrests as part of what he called a broader campaign targeting political activists, journalists, rights defenders and trade unionists, saying similar financial crime and money laundering allegations had been used in other cases.

He said the case was unfolding within “a judicial system that is not independent and is subject to the executive branch’s monopoly”.

Bouaazi said the committee believes the prosecution of the flotilla activists is aimed at criminalising independent popular solidarity with Palestinians and is part of what he described as an increasingly security-focused approach to protests and public life in Tunisia.

The four activists are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international campaign that sought to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

The latest demonstration follows a statement issued on Tuesday by former members of Tunisia’s General Students Union (UGET) and activists from different generations of the student movement, who called for the immediate release of the four detainees, including Naouar, a former secretary-general of UGET.

The group said Saied and his government were responsible for the safety of the hunger strikers and urged student, trade union, rights and civil society groups to mobilise around the detainees’ case.

According to Nidhal Khadraoui, another former secretary-general of UGET, Naouar and the other activists remain determined to continue their hunger strike until their release.

Khadraoui also said Henchiri is in urgent need of surgery following complications from a previous injury he sustained during his detention in Israel, but that the procedure has not been carried out despite a prison doctor’s recommendation.

Supporters of the Global Sumud Flotilla have also rallied, calling for the immediate release of the “Sumud four” and saying their continued detention has become a focus of international concern.

The case comes amid broader concerns from rights groups about the shrinking space for civil society in Tunisia.

Human Rights Watch said Tunisian authorities have increasingly used financial, anti-money laundering and counterterrorism legislation against civil society actors and activists. The group has also criticised Saied for concentrating power in the presidency since 2021, weakening parliament and undermining judicial independence, and has raised concerns about the use of prolonged pre-trial detention.

Saied’s government has rejected accusations that the judiciary is being used to silence opponents, saying the judiciary is independent and legal proceedings are conducted according to the law.

“The Tunisian state, acting on behalf of the Zionist entity, is punishing our comrades for their struggle for Gaza and Palestine,” Khadraoui told Al Jazeera.

“All upcoming actions will be escalatory, and we hold Kais Saied’s authorities fully responsible for putting our comrades in prison,” he said.