Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets on Saturday to demand the release of four activists detained over allegations linked to funds raised for a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla.
The activists were arrested in March as Tunisian authorities investigated allegations that funds collected for the Global Sumud Flotilla had been misused.
The flotilla sailed towards Gaza in 2025 as part of an effort to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.
The Global Sumud Flotilla has rejected the allegations surrounding the activists and has repeatedly called for their release.
Activists reportedly on hunger strike
The organisation said on Saturday that the health of the detained activists was deteriorating after they began a hunger strike.
The hunger strike is reportedly a protest against their continued detention.
Bassem Trifi, head of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, described the case as politically motivated.
Trifi said his organisation considers the four detainees to be prisoners of conscience and political prisoners.
However, the allegations against the activists remain part of an ongoing legal case.
Rights groups raise concerns
The arrests took place as activists were preparing another Gaza flotilla mission, which was expected to depart partly from Tunisia.
That planned mission was later cancelled.
Trifi said the campaign in support of Palestinian rights had attracted significant public backing in Tunisia.
He argued that the wider movement should not be reduced solely to allegations involving financial management.
The Global Sumud Flotilla also criticised the arrests.
The organisation described them as a departure from Tunisia’s longstanding public support for the Palestinian cause.
Claims of outside pressure
Ghassen Bouazi, an advocate supporting the detainees, said the arrests formed part of what he described as a wider campaign against political figures, rights activists and journalists.
He also alleged that foreign pressure may have played a role in the arrests.
However, he did not provide details or evidence for that claim.
The Tunisian authorities’ allegations concerning the activists centre on the handling of funds connected with the flotilla.
Flotilla’s Gaza mission
The Global Sumud Flotilla describes its activities as a non-violent effort to challenge what it calls the siege and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The group has organised maritime missions aimed at reaching the Palestinian territory.
During an earlier mission, the flotilla was anchored at Tunisia’s Sidi Bou Said port when it reported an attack involving two drones.
The boats were later intercepted by Israel before reaching Gaza.
The activists aboard were detained and subsequently deported.
The latest protests in Tunisia have renewed attention on the detained organisers and their legal case.
