Tunisia: Court of Appeal confirms preventive detention for four leaders of the Soumoud Flotilla

The Court of Appeal of Tunis today rejected the appeal against the continued detention of Wael Naouar, Nabil Chennoufi, Ghassen Boughdiri and Ghassen Henchiri, four Tunisian leaders of the Soumoud Flotilla detained since March as part of an economic-financial investigation. According to the Tunisian media Al Chourouk, the Chamber of Accusation number 32 confirmed the decision of the investigating judge of the Economic and Financial Judicial Center to deny release and extend the preventive detention of the four by four months. In the afternoon, the National Defense Committee of Flotilla activists also announced that Naouar had been transferred to hospital again, a few hours after being taken back to Mornaguia prison.

The Committee reports that it has not received information from the authorities on his health conditions or the circumstances of his hospitalization. There are currently no official communications from the health or penitentiary authorities. The position of the people arrested after the demonstration on 19 September in Tunis, organized to ask for the release of the four, is separate. The Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Tunis has authorized the Central Brigade of the National Guard of Aouina to extend the garde à vue of 13 people by another 48 hours. Among those arrested there is also a minor, according to the defense coordination. The precise accusations have not yet been formally made public by the Prosecutor's Office.