Tunisia Activist Wael Naouar Critically Ill After 24-Day Hunger Strike

Six months into a legal battle, four activists remain locked up in Tunisia while one faces a grave health crisis from a hunger strike that has stretched past three weeks. The situation in Tunis feels heavy. Authorities began arresting organizers linked to the Global Sumud Flotilla back in March. Now, only four are still behind bars as pre-trial detainees, and worry is mounting over Wael Naouar.

Naouar started refusing food on August 16. His goal was simple: protest his continued detention. Bassem Trifi, a lawyer representing him and also leading the Tunisian League for Human Rights, spoke up Tuesday. He said Naouar had gone without sustenance for twenty-four days. The condition of the activist is described as very serious. Trifi visited him in prison recently and reported that Naouar has lost eighteen kilograms, or forty pounds. His blood pressure dropped low, his sugar levels fell, and he struggled to breathe, walk, or speak properly. Pain racked his whole body, especially his stomach.

Anis Harrathi, an activist supporting the group of detainees, offered a different perspective on why this happened. He noted that Naouar understood the physical danger involved in such a long fast yet chose to keep going anyway. Remaining silent would have felt more perilous than fighting with hunger, according to Harrathi. The protest is not just about personal heroism. It targets a system he says wants to turn prisons into tools for silencing opposing voices. Solidarity with Palestine becomes a crime in his eyes, and civil activism turns into a security case.

Seven activists were pulled from their lives initially in March during this financial investigation. Three have walked out of the cells since then. That leaves Naouar along with Nabil Channoufi, Ghassan Henchiri, and Ghassan Boughdiri still facing pre-trial detention. No one has been convicted yet because the case remains under judicial review by Tunisia's Economic and Financial Judicial Pole. This specialized body handles major economic matters. They opened the probe into suspicious financial flows allegedly received by flotilla organizers, as state news agency TAP reported citing a judicial source.

Investigators look closely at where money came from and how it was used. They question whether funds were diverted for purposes unrelated to the flotilla itself. Trifi argued that fundraising activities centered on this case belong in a different category entirely. These efforts formed part of a solidarity campaign, not ordinary transactions subject to strict public procurement rules or accounting laws. He insisted these events happened at a known location under the protection of security services and within the eyes of the state.

Tunisian authorities have offered no details about the specific allegations against the four men. They did not respond when asked for comment on their detention or Naouar's deteriorating health. Supporters reject every claim made by officials. They say this case aims to criminalize support for Palestinians and efforts to organize another flotilla toward Gaza. The access to information remains limited, leaving families and observers in the dark about the true nature of these charges while a man continues to starve in prison.

The Global Sumud Flotilla has dismissed the current accusations as baseless and demanded the immediate freedom of the activists. Harrathi told Al Jazeera that what happens to Naouar and the other detainees cannot be treated as a simple judicial case detached from its political context. This situation arrives while international criticism grows regarding how Tunisia handles civil society groups and their members.

A Human Rights Watch report released last week detailed what it called the weaponization of financial and criminal investigations. These measures include arrests, detention, and administrative actions against NGOs and their members in the country. The group noted that at least 47 people linked to Tunisian NGOs have faced prosecution since 2025. Furthermore, at least 14 individuals were convicted and sentenced to prison time during this period. Authorities allegedly used financial crime and money-laundering laws against human rights defenders. This approach raises serious concerns about investigations meant to intimidate and squeeze civic space.

Rachid Othmani spoke at a solidarity rally in Tunis on Sunday. He is a member of the National Committee for Defense of Sumud Flotilla Activists. Supporters stated they would not be scared by prison or repression. They promised to keep campaigning until the detainees are freed. Our eyes and hearts are with our comrade Wael, who stands firm in the face of death, Othmani said. His life and his legacy will be longer and greater than those holding him.

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila also joined the flotilla before being detained by Israel. He called for the release of Tunisian activists. No one should be jailed for acting in solidarity with Palestinians, he argued. The human rights group HuMENA added its voice to the call for freedom. They warned that continued pre-trial detention brings up questions about due process and the criminalization of peaceful civic activity.

These arrests happen against a backdrop of tighter rules on civil society and political work in Tunisia under President Kais Saied. Since 2021, when he suspended parliament, dismissed the government, and started ruling by decree, Saied has consolidated power across state institutions. Rights groups have criticized his administration constantly. They accuse authorities of using prosecutions and long pre-trial detention against political opponents, journalists, lawyers, and activists.

Saied and his government reject claims that these prosecutions are politically motivated. They insist the judiciary operates independently. The four activists must appear in court on September 16. Naouar's hunger strike is now entering its fourth week. Despite his worsening health, Trifi said Naouar remains determined to continue striking. When asked how far he thought Naouar was prepared to take it, Trifi pointed to a phrase the activist often tells his wife when detained: Until the stars burn out.