Tunisia Detains 15 After Protest Demanding Release of Gaza Flotilla Activists
A Tunisian defence committee says 15 people were detained following demonstrations in Tunis calling for the release of four activists linked to the Steadfastness Flotilla, an initiative supporting Gaza.
The reported detainees included activists Adel Ben Ghazi, Mariem Halfawi, Souhail Chaabi and Thoraya Chatiba. They had taken part in a march through central Tunis that ended outside the Municipal Theatre on Habib Bourguiba Avenue.
Hundreds reportedly joined the demonstration, carrying photographs of the detained flotilla activists and demanding their release and the withdrawal of legal proceedings against them.
The arrests followed a September 11 judicial decision extending the detention of four other activists — Wael Nouar, Ghassan Henchiri, Ghassan Bougdiri and Nabil Channoufi — for another four months while investigations continue.
Tunisian authorities have accused people linked to the flotilla initiative of financial irregularities. Lawyers for the detained activists have rejected the allegations and called for their release.
The defence committee said it had not received information about the legal grounds for the latest arrests or where those detained were being held. Tunisian security and judicial authorities had not publicly confirmed the reported number of detainees at the time of the report.
