Tunisia Protesters Demand Release of Detained Sumud Flotilla Activists

By Al Mayadeen English

21 Sep 2026 09:21

A protest in Tunis calls for the release of four Sumud Flotilla activists, including two on hunger strike over their continued detention.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Tunis to demand the release of four activists detained in connection with the Global Sumud Flotilla and to denounce a campaign targeting solidarity with Palestine.

The demonstration began outside the headquarters of the Tunisian National Journalists’ Union (SNJT), with protesters then heading toward Avenue Habib Bourguiba while carrying Palestinian and Tunisian flags and images of the detainees.

The protesters called for the case against the four activists to be dropped and directed chants against President Kais Saied’s government, including slogans accusing the authorities of repression and of serving foreign interests.

Hunger strike raises alarm over detainees’ health

The protest comes after a Tunisian court extended the pre-trial detention of Wael Naouar, Ghassen Henchiri, Ghassen Boughdiri, and Nabil Channoufi by an additional four months.

The four have been detained since March as part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving fundraising activities connected to the flotilla, according to Tunisian state media, which cited judicial sources.

Naouar, a member of the flotilla’s steering committee, began an open-ended hunger strike on August 16 in protest against his continued detention. Henchiri, Boughdiri, and Channoufi joined the strike on September 9, according to supporters and the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Activists accuse authorities of criminalizing Palestine solidarity

Supporters of the detainees say their case extends beyond the financial allegations and forms part of a wider crackdown on political and civil society actors.

Activists, journalists, rights defenders, and trade unionists have increasingly faced similar legal proceedings involving financial crimes and money laundering allegations, according to reports. 

The four detainees are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international initiative that sought to challenge the Israeli regime’s blockade of Gaza and transport humanitarian assistance to the Strip.

Former student union leaders join calls for release

Calls for the activists’ release have also come from former members of Tunisia’s General Students Union (UGET).

Former UGET officials and activists representing different generations of the student movement issued a statement Tuesday demanding the immediate release of the four detainees, including Naouar, who previously served as the union’s secretary-general.

They called on student organizations, trade unions, rights groups, and other civil society bodies to mobilize around the case, while holding Saied and his government responsible for the safety of the hunger strikers.

Nidhal Khadraoui, another former UGET secretary-general, said the detainees remained committed to continuing their hunger strike until they were freed.

He also raised concerns over Henchiri’s health, saying he requires surgery because of complications from an injury sustained during detention by the Israeli regime.

According to Khadraoui, the operation has not been performed despite a prison doctor recommending it.

Human rights groups warn of shrinking civic space

The detention of the four activists comes against a backdrop of growing criticism from rights organizations over restrictions on civil society in Tunisia.

Human Rights Watch has accused Tunisian authorities of increasingly using financial, anti-money laundering, and counterterrorism laws against activists and civil society figures.

Tunisian authorities reject accusations that the judiciary is being used to suppress political opponents. The government maintains that the judiciary is independent and that legal proceedings are conducted in accordance with the law.

Supporters of the Global Sumud Flotilla have continued to stage protests calling for the immediate release of the “Sumud four", making the activists’ detention an increasingly prominent issue among Palestine solidarity groups in Tunisia.