Tunisian Protesters Demand Release of Detained Sumud Activists Amid Hunger Strike Concerns

Dozens of people gathered in central Tunis on Saturday, September 19, 2026, to demand the immediate release of four Global Sumud Flotilla activists currently held in pre-trial detention. Demonstrators marched from the headquarters of the Tunisian National Journalists’ Union (SNJT) to Avenue Habib Bourguiba, carrying Tunisian and Palestinian flags alongside portraits of the detainees. The protest took place amid rising public concern over the worsening health of one of the activists, who has spent more than a month on a hunger strike.

The demonstration follows a recent court decision to extend the pre-trial detention of the four men—identified as Wael Naouar, Ghassen Henchiri, Ghassen Boughdiri, and Nabil Channoufi—by another four months. According to Tunisian state media citing judicial sources, the activists have been held since March as part of an ongoing financial investigation into fundraising activities linked to the flotilla. The four men and their defense team have denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the case is unjustified.

The detainees are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international campaign organized to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. Following their arrest, Naouar, a member of the flotilla’s steering committee and a former secretary-general of Tunisia’s General Students Union (UGET), launched an open-ended hunger strike on August 16 to protest his confinement. The three other detained activists joined him in the hunger strike on September 9, according to supporting statements from the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on the sidelines of Saturday’s demonstration, Ghassen Bouaazi, a member of the National Committee for the Defence of Sumud Flotilla Activists, reported that Naouar’s physical condition had deteriorated significantly after approximately 35 days without food. Bouaazi stated that Naouar had experienced repeated fainting spells, difficulty breathing, and hallucinations, alongside a weight loss exceeding 20 kilograms (44 pounds). Bouaazi asserted that a genuine danger threatens the detainee and stated that the defense committee holds President Kais Saied and his government legally, morally, and politically responsible for any harm that comes to the hunger strikers.

Supporters at the march chanted anti-government slogans and called for an end to the prosecution, which they characterize as part of a wider government crackdown on political dissent, civil society organizations, trade unionists, journalists, and rights defenders. Critics of the administration argue that the financial crime and money laundering allegations frequently deployed against activists reflect a judicial system lacking independence and subject to the executive branch. Nidhal Khadraoui, another former UGET secretary-general, noted that the activists intend to continue their protest until they are released.

Khadraoui also raised medical concerns regarding Ghassen Henchiri, stating that Henchiri requires urgent surgery for complications stemming from an injury sustained during previous detention in Israel. According to Khadraoui, the required medical procedure has not been performed despite a recommendation from a prison doctor.

The case has intensified broader international and domestic scrutiny regarding civic freedoms in Tunisia. Human Rights Watch has previously noted that Tunisian authorities increasingly rely on financial and counterterrorism legislation to target civil society actors, pointing to President Saied's consolidation of executive power, weakened parliamentary authority, and concerns regarding prolonged pre-trial detentions since 2021.

Meanwhile, the Tunisian government has consistently rejected allegations that the judiciary is utilized to suppress political opposition. Authorities maintain that the judicial branch operates independently and that all legal proceedings adhere strictly to domestic laws. Despite these official denials, protest organizers and former student activists have called for broader mobilization among trade unions, student groups, and civil rights advocates, warning that upcoming actions by supporters will be escalatory as long as the Sumud activists remain behind bars.