The Global Sumud Flotilla made public this Monday that, after the mobilization held on Sunday in Tunis capital, at least 15 Tunisian activists have been arrested, several of them forcibly taken from their homes, after participating in a protest in support of four Tunisian members of the flotilla who have been imprisoned for half a year and who began a hunger strike in September.
"During the night at least 15 peaceful protesters have been detained, taken from their homes and from the streets. Several families still do not know where their loved ones are," the Flotilla reported in a statement.
The arrests occur following the gathering that took place on Sunday in the city of Tunis in solidarity with the imprisoned activists Wael Nawar, Nabil Chanufi, Ghassan Henchiri, and Ghassan Bughdiri, members of the flotilla.
"We demand their immediate release and total transparency about the location and condition of all the detainees. Protesting for the lives of our friends should not cost anyone their freedom," the group argued.
The four activists 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 defying the blockade imposed by Israel.
The four began a hunger strike in early September and Nawar, in particular, is in "critical" condition in El Mornaguia prison. With this protest, they denounce the prolongation of their preventive imprisonment.