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.