Tunisia activist hospitalised after 39-day hunger strike over detention

A Gaza solidarity activist detained in Tunisia has been admitted to hospital in critical condition after 39 days on hunger strike, according to a rights group linked to the flotilla campaign. Wael Naouar is protesting his pre-trial detention and the financial misconduct charges brought against him and three other activists. The case has drawn fresh attention after a judge rejected an appeal against extending the group's detention.

Sponsored

Bassem Trifi, head of the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights, said Naouar was in a very critical health condition and on the verge of death. The flotilla group said Tunisian authorities were refusing to disclose information to his family or lawyers. His lawyer said he had lost more than 20kg and was suffering pain throughout his body, while another activist said he had recently experienced repeated fainting, difficulty breathing and hallucinations.

Naouar and the other detainees, Ghassen Henchiri, Ghassen Boughdiri and Nabil Channoufi, were arrested in March after being accused of misusing funds raised for the Global Sumud Flotilla. None of the four has been convicted, and they remain under investigation over alleged suspicious financial flows. The prison authorities did not immediately comment on Naouar's condition, leaving the immediate medical and legal situation unclear.

The case matters because it sits at the intersection of domestic detention policy, protest rights and the wider Gaza solidarity movement. The Global Sumud Flotilla is part of an international campaign seeking to challenge Israel's blockade of Gaza, and the activists' detention has become a focal point for supporters in Tunisia. The hunger strike has also raised concerns about the treatment of detainees who have not yet been convicted.

Sponsored

The flotilla campaign has already had a wider regional trajectory. The Gaza-bound flotilla set sail last September and was intercepted by Israel, which then detained and deported the activists to Tunisia. That background has helped turn the current case into a politically sensitive one, with supporters framing the detainees as part of a broader pro-Palestinian effort.

A protest demanding their release led to at least 11 arrests in Tunisia on Saturday, showing the issue is still generating public tension. What happens next will depend on the medical response, any further court action and whether authorities provide clearer information to the family and lawyers. It is not yet known whether Naouar's condition will lead to a change in detention arrangements or a review of the case.

The key developments to watch are his hospital treatment, any official statement from prison or judicial authorities, and whether the appeal process changes the status of the four detainees.

#Tunisia #WaelNaouar #hungerstrike #detention #GlobalSumudFlotilla

Sponsored