Wael Naouar reported in critical condition during Tunisia hunger strike
Flotilla organisers say Wael Naouar was taken to hospital as rights officials warn his condition is critical in pre-trial detention.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Tunisian activist Wael Naouar is reported to be in critical condition after more than a month on hunger strike while held in pre-trial detention near Tunis. The Tunisian League for Human Rights said his condition had become life-threatening, while flotilla organisers said he had been admitted to hospital.
Naouar began the strike to seek dismissal of financial-misconduct allegations against himself and three other Global Sumud Flotilla organisers, according to Reuters. All four deny the allegations, and none has been convicted, Al Jazeera reported.
Why is Wael Naouar on hunger strike?
Naouar is demanding that the authorities drop the case against him, Ghassen Henchiri, Ghassen Boughdiri and Nabil Channoufi, according to Al Jazeera. The four were arrested in March over allegations involving donated funds raised for the Global Sumud Flotilla, with accounts of the case variously referring to alleged money laundering, misuse of donations and suspicious financial flows.
The Gaza Sumud Flotilla said a judge had rejected an appeal against an extension of the four men’s pre-trial detention and that Naouar was on the 39th day of his strike. His lawyer said Naouar had lost more than 20kg and was suffering pain throughout his body, according to Al Jazeera; those medical details were not confirmed by Tunisian authorities.
Bassem Trifi, president of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, said Naouar was in a very critical condition and close to death. Ghassen Bouaazi of the National Committee for the Defence of Sumud Flotilla Activists said Naouar had suffered repeated fainting, breathing difficulties and hallucinations, Al Jazeera reported.
A prison spokesperson did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Naouar’s case and condition, Reuters reported. The prime minister’s office also did not immediately respond to Reuters.
What is the case against the flotilla organisers?
Naouar had sailed from Tunisia as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an effort to deliver aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s naval blockade, Reuters and Al Jazeera reported. Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla, and participants were subsequently detained and deported to Tunisia, according to Al Jazeera.
The detainees’ lawyers say the men were targeted because of their activism and popularity, Reuters reported. Tunisian authorities say the matter is a judicial and financial investigation rather than a political prosecution; the government has also denied that prosecutions are politically motivated.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.