The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) has issued an emergency alert following the critical hospitalisation of steering committee member Wael Naouar

Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) boats sailing at twilight

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) has issued an emergency alert following the critical hospitalisation of steering committee member Wael Naouar. Naouar has been on an open-ended hunger strike for nearly 40 days in Mornaguia Prison.

Tunisian authorities are now maintaining a complete information blackout, refusing to provide any update regarding Naouar’s medical state or the circumstances surrounding his emergency transfer.

The alarming silence comes as dozens of high-profile artists, legal scholars, and political leaders launched an open letter. It urges the Tunisian government to free Naouar and his three co-defendants immediately. Those signing the letter in support of the GSF organiser include:

  • Greta Thunberg, climate activist and international civil disobedience leader.
  • Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council, anti-apartheid advocate, and grandson of Nelson Mandela.
  • Kneecap, acclaimed Irish hip-hop trio and cultural activists.
  • Liam Cunningham, international actor (Game of Thrones) and human rights advocate.
  • Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, prominent lawyer, author, and political commentator.
  • Tiz Zaqyah Razak, award-winning Malaysian actress and public figure.

The GSF stated:

Wael Naouar’s life and health are the direct responsibility of the authorities holding him in custody. This worrying silence and the total refusal to provide information to his family or legal team raise serious concerns for his safety. We hold the President of the Republic, the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation, and the Ministry of Justice fully responsible for his life and for any harm that may befall him.

GSF hunger strike grows

Naouar launched his hunger strike on 16 August to protest his prolonged detention without trial.

On 10 September, fellow GSF organisers Nabil Channoufi, Ghassan El Henchiri, and Ghassan El Boughdiri joined the open-ended hunger strike. This was just before a Tunisian court extended their pretrial detention by four months despite a complete absence of credible evidence.

All four men have been held for more than six months for helping coordinate a non-violent civilian aid mission to Gaza.

In their open letter, titled “FREE THE SUMUD 4,” the signatories declare:

We know the power of a voice, a name, a stage, an audience. A man has been on hunger strike for more than a month in a Tunisian prison because he refuses to accept that solidarity with Palestine is a crime. His heart could stop at any moment.

Tunisia has long stood with the Palestinian people and resisted colonialism. We ask its government to remember that history, and to act before another prisoner pays with his life.

From Palestine to Tunisia, from the prison cell to the street, people should not be prosecuted for refusing to accept injustice.

The open letter outlines four non-negotiable demands:

  • The immediate and unconditional release of the Sumud 4.
  • Immediate urgent medical care for Wael Naouar and all hunger-striking organisers.
  • The dismissal of all charges against all GSF organisers.
  • The removal of arbitrary restrictions imposed on previously released GSF organisers.

The GSF reiterates that civil society movements, human rights defenders, and cultural leaders worldwide will not sit idly by while civilian organisers face political imprisonment for coordinating peaceful efforts to challenge Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.

Featured image via the Global Sumud Flotilla

By The Canary

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