Key facts
- Tunisian activist Wael Naouar is over a month into a hunger strike in a prison outside Tunis.
- Naouar was arrested in March with three other activists on charges of money laundering and misuse of donated funds.
- The activists deny the charges, which their lawyers claim are politically motivated.
- Naouar's health has deteriorated significantly during his hunger strike.
- Critics allege the arrests are part of a campaign against activists since President Kais Saied consolidated power in 2021.
Tunisian activist Wael Naouar, who gained international attention for confronting Israeli soldiers during a Gaza aid flotilla, is now over a month into an open-ended hunger strike in a prison outside Tunis. He and three other activists arrested with him are demanding that charges of financial misconduct be dropped.
Naouar, a longtime critic of Tunisian authorities, had previously protested unemployment and pursued social justice for two decades before shifting his focus to the Palestinian cause during the recent war in Gaza. He was detained in March along with three other organizers of the Sumud Flotilla initiative, which aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by challenging Israel's naval blockade. A video clip of Naouar confronting Israeli soldiers after his boat was intercepted spread widely online.
Naouar's lawyer, family members, and civil society groups report that his health has severely deteriorated, with the president of the Tunisian League for Human Rights stating he is "in a very critical health condition and on the verge of death." A prison spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Critics argue that the arrests and prosecutions of activists, journalists, and opposition politicians have intensified since President Kais Saied accumulated power in 2021, following the "Arab Spring" pro-democracy protests. However, the government denies that the prosecutions are political, with Saied asserting that freedoms are guaranteed, the judiciary is independent, and no one is above the law.
Naouar's detention has sparked protests in Tunis, including one that led to 14 arrests. His family expressed deep concern for his well-being, with his mother lamenting the loss of joy in their home and his brother vowing to hold the president and justice ministry responsible if anything happens to him.