Brazilian Activist Demands Immediate Release of Detained Tunisian Sumud Flotilla Organizers

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila has strongly demanded the freedom of four Tunisian colleagues who participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla, an initiative launched to challenge the Israeli blockade on Gaza and deliver essential humanitarian aid.

Launched in August 2025, the flotilla featured dozens of boats carrying life-saving supplies before being intercepted by Israel, leading to the detention of those on board. Israeli authorities eventually released Nabil Channoufi, Ghassan Henchiri, Ghassan Boughdiri, and Wael Naouar, allowing them to return to Tunisia in October.

However, fellow activists reported that Tunisian "counterterrorism" police rearrested the four men in February following their announcement of a new flotilla mission. In a video message shared on social media on Tuesday, Thiago Avila stated, "I’m writing to you this letter after 170 days since you’ve been arrested while mobilising solidarity with Palestine through our peaceful mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla to break the illegal siege of Gaza."

The United Kingdom-based news site the Morning Star reported in March that the activists were taken into custody by the Tunisian National Guard financial crimes unit over accusations of money laundering, fraud, and misuse of campaign donations. According to family members and fellow activists, they have spent more than five months confined in Tunis’s Mornaguia Prison, while Tunisia’s government has remained publicly silent on the matter.

"No one should be detained and separated from their families for acting in solidarity with a people victim of a genocide," Avila emphasized. He also highlighted that Wael Naouar has been enduring a hunger strike lasting at least seven days, noting that both men had previously undertaken similar actions during their detention by Israel last year.

The ongoing blockade on Gaza—imposed by Israel in 2007 and intensified in October 2023—continues to restrict basic supplies like food, water, and medicine. Despite these challenges, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and international organizers persist in their missions, though activists currently accuse Tunisia’s government of cracking down on the movement by banning gatherings and targeting organizers utilizing the Sidi Bou Said port.