Six months after Tunisian authorities began arresting organisers of a pro-Palestinian flotilla, four activists remain in pre-trial detention, with growing concern over the health of one of them, Wael Naouar, who has been on hunger strike for more than three weeks. Naouar, a Tunisian activist and member of the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla, began his hunger strike on August 16 to protest his continued detention.
His lawyer, Bassem Trifi, who is also president of the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH), said on Tuesday that Naouar was entering his 24th day without food and described his condition as “very serious”. Trifi, who visited Naouar in prison last week, said the activist had lost 18kg (40lb) and was suffering from low blood pressure and low blood sugar, as well as difficulty breathing, walking and speaking. He was also experiencing pain throughout his body, particularly in his stomach, Trifi said.
Anis Harrathi, an activist and member of the committee supporting the detainees, told Al Jazeera that Naouar was aware of the physical risks of a prolonged hunger strike, but had chosen to continue because he believed remaining silent was more perilous than continuing his strike. “Wael knows very well the risks of a hunger strike,” Harrathi said. “Yet he chose to put his body in confrontation with an entire system, because there comes a moment when silence becomes more dangerous than hunger.” Harrathi said Naouar’s protest was not about personal heroism but what he sees as a broader injustice affecting him and the other detainees.
Seven activists were initially detained in March. Three have since been released, leaving Naouar and three others – Nabil Channoufi, Ghassan Henchiri and Ghassan Boughdiri – in pre-trial detention. None has been convicted. The investigation was ordered by Tunisia’s Economic and Financial Judicial Pole over what state news agency TAP described as “suspicious financial flows” received by organisers. Trifi said the investigation concerns allegations including money laundering, aggravated breach of trust, and forgery, but argued the fundraising was part of a solidarity campaign and should not be treated as ordinary financial transactions.
The case has drawn international criticism. A Human Rights Watch report last week documented the “weaponisation” of financial and criminal investigations against civil society organisations in Tunisia, saying at least 47 people connected to NGOs had been prosecuted and at least 14 convicted since 2025. The arrests come amid growing restrictions on civil society under President Kais Saied, who consolidated power in 2021. Supporters reject the allegations, calling the case an attempt to criminalise solidarity with Palestinians. The four activists are due to appear in court on September 16, and Naouar’s hunger strike is now entering its fourth week.
Source: www.aljazeera.com