Dozens of activists from thirteen countries, including Spain, have started a hunger strike with the aim of demanding the release of the ten members of the Global Sumud Land Convoy detained by the authorities in eastern Libya when they were heading towards the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid.
"The kidnapped volunteers are on their seventh day of a life-threatening hunger and thirst strike," the pro-Palestinian organization denounced in a statement, referring to the protest initiated on June 1.
In response, and "as an act of solidarity and to draw attention to their dire situation, a Global Solidarity Hunger Strike has been organized on all five continents."
The group mentions the participation of countries such as Canada, the United States, Italy, and South Africa, in addition to Spain, where "hunger strikes have been launched to demand that these governments intervene and secure the immediate release of these human rights defenders."
In parallel, demonstrations have been called for in front of Libyan embassies and Foreign Ministry headquarters to demand direct action from the governments and "to pressure the Libyan authorities to immediately release the eleven kidnapped international volunteers."
According to the organization, the eleven activists are being held in "black jails," "clandestine and illegal prisons, and secret detention centers with little or no access to legal, diplomatic, or family support."
"This illegal kidnapping is part of a broader campaign to criminalize solidarity initiatives with Palestine in an attempt to silence activism and Palestinian demands for freedom," the group reproached.
The ten members of the humanitarian convoy to Gaza were arrested in Sirte by the authorities controlling eastern Libya on May 24, when they were negotiating the convoy's passage. After their detention in Sirte, they were transferred to a prison in Benghazi, where they began a hunger and thirst strike that has now lasted seven days.
Release of the Tunisian activist
The eleventh member is Mehdi Burzguenda, arrested when he was returning to Tunisia, who was reportedly released a few hours after the start of the international hunger strike was announced.
"Mehdi has been released. After almost three weeks of illegal detention, Mehdi Buzguenda has been released and has already reunited with his friends and family in Tunisia. We celebrate his freedom," the Global Sumud Coalition communicated.
The organization emphasizes that the other ten volunteers "remain detained in Benghazi" and that "their immediate release is non-negotiable." "We are not going to look the other way. None of us will be free until all of us are free," they added, also recalling the "almost 10,000 Palestinian prisoners held by the Israeli regime."
The activists detained in Benghazi are Achraf Khoja, Lucas Ezequiel Aguilera, Maria Paula Giménez, Ana Margarida França Santana Baptista, Domenico Centrone, Leonarda 'Dina' Alberizia, Jenelle Jones, Matías Álvarez, Laura Kwoczala-Alsubaih, Mehdi Buzguenda, and the Spaniard Alicia Armesto.
The Global Sumud Coalition calls on the countries of origin of these eleven volunteers --Tunisia, Argentina, Portugal, Italy, the United States, Uruguay, Poland, Canada, and Spain-- "to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure their immediate release," as well as to guarantee unrestricted consular access, independent medical examinations, and fluid communication channels between the detainees, their families, and their legal representatives.