Tunisian defence committee says 15 detained after march supporting Gaza Flotilla activists

A Tunisian defence committee said on Monday that 15 people had been detained following demonstrations calling for the release of four activists associated with the Steadfastness Flotilla, an initiative organized in support of the Gaza Strip.

The Defence Committee for the Steadfastness Flotilla Detainees in Tunisia said the arrests occurred in recent hours following solidarity actions in the capital.

The committee identified several of those detained as activists Adel Ben Ghazi, Mariem Halfawi, Souhail Chaabi and Thoraya Chatiba.

According to the group, the detainees had participated in a march through central Tunis that ended outside the Municipal Theatre on Habib Bourguiba Avenue.

The committee said it had not received information about the legal grounds for the arrests or where those detained were being held. It also alleged that security operations and arrests continued overnight.

Tunisian security and judicial authorities had not issued an official statement confirming the reported number of arrests or explaining the reasons for them at the time of the committee’s statement.

Hundreds of people reportedly participated in the demonstration, which began outside the headquarters of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists before proceeding toward the Municipal Theatre. Participants carried photographs of detained flotilla activists and called for their release and for legal proceedings against them to be dropped.

The demonstration followed a 11^th September judicial decision extending the detention of four activists — Wael Nouar, Ghassan Henchiri, Ghassan Bougdiri and Nabil Channoufi — for an additional four months while investigations continue.

According to judicial authorities, the broader case involves allegations against several people associated with the flotilla initiative, including suspected financial irregularities.

Lawyers representing the detainees have rejected the allegations and called for their clients’ release and the termination of the proceedings against them