The health of four Tunisian activists detained in connection with the Global Sumud Flotilla has reportedly deteriorated, as their families continue to express concern over their prolonged detention, hunger strikes and worsening medical conditions.
Wael Naouar, 41, has been held in pretrial detention since March as part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to funds raised for the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international campaign aimed at delivering aid to Gaza and challenging Israel’s blockade.
Naouar began a hunger strike on August 16 in protest against his continued detention. He was later transferred to hospital after his health deteriorated and ended the strike after 38 days following appeals from his lawyers and supporters.
His father, Hichem Naouar, said his son was experiencing dizziness, difficulty seeing clearly, vomiting and problems controlling his left leg during a recent prison visit.
The other three detainees — Ghassan Henchiri, Ghassan Boughdiri and Nabil Channoufi — have also remained in detention. Henchiri and the others have reportedly continued hunger strikes.
According to Henchiri’s father, Sebti, his son has become visibly exhausted after beginning his hunger strike on September 9. He also reportedly has a head injury sustained during his detention in Israel, but his family says he has not yet received the promised medical examinations.
The investigation is being conducted by Tunisia’s Economic and Financial Judicial Pole, which handles financial and economic crime cases. Judicial sources cited by Tunisia’s TAP news agency said investigators were examining how funds raised for the flotilla were collected and used, including whether any money was diverted for other purposes.
The activists and their lawyers deny any wrongdoing and say the four men are innocent. None of them has been convicted.
A Tunis court recently rejected a legal challenge against a four-month extension of their pretrial detention, meaning the four activists will remain behind bars while the investigation continues.
Their lawyers have questioned the necessity of keeping them in detention, arguing that the investigation has made little progress. Authorities, however, maintain that the case concerns financial matters rather than the activists’ political or pro-Palestinian activities.
The detention has also affected the activists’ families. Naouar’s nine-year-old son, Yassar, has reportedly suffered emotional distress and declining school performance since his father was detained. His four-year-old daughter, Sumud, is reportedly still too young to understand why her father is in prison.
Meanwhile, 14 people arrested following a September 19 demonstration demanding the activists’ release have also reportedly been placed in pretrial detention. One of them is a 17-year-old who was brought before a juvenile judge.
Human Rights Watch has previously expressed concerns over the use of financial and money-laundering investigations against civil society actors in Tunisia.
The families of the detained activists continue to call for their release and for adequate medical care while the judicial investigation proceeds.
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