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Concerns are escalating over the life of a jailed Tunisian pro-Palestinian activist whose health has taken a severe downturn following more than three weeks on a hunger strike. Wael Naouar, a key organizer for the Global Sumud Flotilla, remains held in pre-trial detention alongside three fellow activists, six months after authorities initiated arrests surrounding the humanitarian campaign.
Naouar launched his food refusal on August 16 to openly challenge his extended imprisonment. Entering the 24th day of his strike, the activist’s physical state has reached a critical stage, marked by acute physical deterioration and persistent bodily distress while in state custody.
According to his legal counsel, Bassem Trifi, who also heads the Tunisian League for Human Rights, Naouar’s condition has become profoundly alarming. Following a recent prison visit, Trifi reported that the activist has shed approximately 18 kilograms (40 pounds) and is enduring dangerously low blood pressure, depleted blood sugar levels, severe stomach cramps, and generalized body pain, alongside profound difficulties with speaking, breathing, and walking.
Supporters emphasize that Naouar entered the hunger strike with a complete understanding of the life-threatening physiological dangers involved. Anis Harrathi, a member of the detainees' support committee, explained that the activist chose to place his physical well-being on the line because remaining silent under the current circumstances was viewed as far more hazardous than the severe consequences of starvation.
Harrathi noted that Naouar’s protest transcends personal grievances, serving as an indictment against what advocates describe as a systemic campaign to penalize political expression. The activist's action is aimed at confronting an institutional pattern that seeks to transform incarceration into a silencing mechanism, reframe Palestinian solidarity work as a criminal offense, and treat peaceful civic initiatives as national security threats.
The current legal ordeal began in March, when Tunisian security forces initially apprehended seven individuals linked to the organizational leadership of the Global Sumud Flotilla. While three of the detainees were later freed, Naouar and three other activists—Nabil Channoufi, Ghassan Henchiri, and Ghassan Boughdiri—have been held continuously in pre-trial confinement without any formal conviction.
The ongoing judicial inquiry was initiated by Tunisia’s Economic and Financial Judicial Pole, a specialized state tribunal tasked with investigating complex financial and economic crimes. The state-run TAP news agency, citing judicial sources, reported that the probe was sparked by alleged "suspicious financial flows" directed to the organizers of the maritime initiative.
Magistrates are actively examining the origins, transfers, and eventual disbursement of campaign funds to assess whether resources were improperly diverted from their stated mission. Defense lawyer Trifi noted that the formal allegations encompass accusations of money laundering, aggravated breach of trust, and forgery.
The legal defense team strongly rejects these charges, contending that funds collected for the flotilla represented civic donations for a humanitarian solidarity mission rather than commercial transactions subject to strict public accounting and procurement mandates. Trifi further underscored that the fundraising efforts were conducted in full public view at an established venue under the direct oversight of the state and the protection of national security forces.
Tunisian authorities have consistently declined to disclose specific evidence against the four men or issue public responses regarding their prolonged pre-trial status and Naouar's precarious physical state.
Supporters and the leadership of the Global Sumud Flotilla maintain that the accusations are baseless, arguing that the judicial process is calculated to disrupt future attempts to organize aid flotillas aimed at breaking Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Harrathi stressed that the detentions cannot be evaluated as an isolated judicial matter detached from the broader political climate.
The prolonged detentions coincide with widening international alarm regarding civil liberties in Tunisia. A recent report by Human Rights Watch detailed a pattern wherein the state has weaponized criminal and financial legislation to target non-governmental organizations and their personnel. The watchdog highlighted that at least 47 individuals affiliated with civil society groups have faced state prosecution since 2025, with at least 14 receiving prison sentences under the guise of financial crime and anti-money laundering enforcement.
Public demonstrations in support of the imprisoned activists continue to take place in the capital. Addressing a solidarity gathering in Tunis, Rachid Othmani of the National Committee for Defense of Sumud Flotilla Activists declared that public pressure would persist despite state intimidation, praising Naouar's steadfast resistance against life-threatening conditions behind bars.
International campaigners have also amplified calls for the immediate liberation of the four Tunisians. Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, a fellow flotilla participant who previously experienced detention by Israeli authorities, voiced solidarity with the detainees, arguing that individuals should never face imprisonment for organizing humanitarian actions in support of Palestinians.
Additionally, the human rights organization HuMENA has urged Tunisian authorities to end the detentions, warning that the continued denial of release violates fair trial guarantees and normalizes the criminalization of nonviolent civil advocacy.
As Naouar's hunger strike enters a critical phase, rights defenders warn that the window to prevent irreversible physical harm is rapidly closing, underscoring the urgent necessity for judicial accountability and the protection of civic space.
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