Brazilian activist demands Tunisia release Sumud Flotilla organisers

What the report says

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila has called on Tunisia to release four fellow activists tied to the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international aid mission aimed at challenging Israel’s blockade of Gaza. In a video message reported by Al Jazeera, Avila appealed for the freedom of Tunisian activists Nabil Channoufi, Ghassan Henchiri, Ghassan Boughdiri and Wael Naouar, saying they had been held for months in Tunis’s Mornaguia Prison.

According to the report, the four were first among activists who took part in the flotilla launched in August 2025 to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Israel intercepted the boats and later released the Tunisian activists, who returned home in October. They were then rearrested in February, after announcing another aid mission. A UK-based outlet, the Morning Star, previously reported that Tunisian authorities detained them on allegations including money laundering, fraud and misuse of donation funds; Tunisia’s government has not publicly addressed the case.

Avila’s message highlighted concerns about the length of the detention and the health of Wael Naouar, whom he said had been on hunger strike for days. The case matters because the flotilla campaign has become part of wider international activism over Gaza, and Tunisia has been a recurring organizing point for such efforts. Al Jazeera also noted that activists have accused Tunisian authorities of restricting flotilla-related gatherings, though those allegations were not independently detailed in the article.