The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) has reported that the Tunisian activist Wael Nawar is in a "critical" condition after maintaining a hunger strike for 21 days. The fasting is his form of protest against the preventive detention imposed on him in Tunisia, which also affects three other members of the collective.
The lawyers who have been able to interview the activists in the El Mornaguia prison report that Nawar "suffers from severe stomach pain, extreme exhaustion, inability to stand or walk continuously, and has great difficulty speaking."
According to the organization, "Nawar's health is deteriorating (...) with a lack of electrolytes aggravated by the extreme heat waves that accelerate his physical deterioration to levels typical after the 30th day of hunger strike," and emphasizes that in the last three weeks, 20 inmates have died in Tunisian prisons due to the heat.
Nawad and the activists Nabil Chanufi, Ghassan Henchiri, and Ghassan Bughdiri have been in preventive detention for almost six months, following their arrest in March for their participation in the Sumud Flotilla mission, which aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in defiance of the Israeli blockade.
Regarding the health status of the other detainees, it is indicated that Bughdiri suffers from a rash affecting his entire body, while Henchiri requires surgery for injuries sustained during his participation in the flotilla and also presents a rash due to "inadequate medical attention." The Global Sumud Flotilla maintains that the situation of the four activists violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Therefore, the organization demands the "immediate and unconditional" release of the four, that they be provided with medical treatment outside of prison, the withdrawal of politically motivated charges, and the end of all restrictions imposed on the political activity of other activists.