Pro-Palestine Activist ‘Close to Death’ on Hunger Strike in Tunisian Prison
Por Charlotte Reck — Novara Media
The leader of the Global Sumud Flotilla is in a semi-comatose condition and close to death as he enters the 39th day of his hunger strike inside Tunisia’s Mornaguia Prison, the organisation has confirmed to Novara Media.
Wael Naouar, a father of two who was detained in March alongside three other Flotilla organisers, Ghassan Henchiri, Ghassan Boughdiri and Nabil Chennoufi, initiated his hunger strike in protest of the prolonged detention the Sumud 4 have endured without trial.
In a press release shared on Tuesday, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Naouar is facing organ failure, and experiencing hallucinations and severe heart, chest and stomach pain. He is described as barely able to see or hear, and “wishes to lose consciousness only to escape the agony”.
After a visit to his son this week, Naouar’s father said: “Wael is on the brink of death.”
Henchiri, Boughdiri and Chennoufi also began their hunger strikes a little over two weeks ago. The Flotilla described Henchiri as “bedridden, in severe pain and denied basic medical care”.
The activists were initially arrested over allegations of financial violations in March. This triggered an investigation into each of the men, and they have remained imprisoned by Tunisian authorities while they await trial.
A trial date has yet to be set, and their pre-trial detention was extended by four months on 11 September.
Hundreds of protestors took to the streets in Tunis this weekend demanding freedom for the Sumud 4. Around 15 people were reportedly arrested after the march, a move condemned by two Tunisian political parties and the Tunisian League for Human Rights which called for the immediate release of those detained.
The Global Sumud Flotilla slammed the Tunisian government for holding the Sumud 4 on “fabricated financial charges designed to criminalise their solidarity” with “no credible evidence” and said it holds state authorities fully responsible for their fate.
It is calling for the activists’ immediate release, all charges against them to be dropped, emergency hospital care for the hunger strikers, and the release of “every activist detained for standing with them”.
During their six months incarcerated, the Sumud 4 have endured brutal prison conditions including extreme heat, water shortages and a denial of healthcare, according to the Flotilla.
Fonte: Novara Media
