Letter from Comrade Ghassan El Bughdiri from Mornaguia Prison

Ghassan El Boghdiri, a member of the 2025 Global Sumud Flotilla steering committee, has been held in Mornaguia Prison in Tunisia for two months without a hearing. Ghassan transmitted the following letter after being issued a 7-month sentence for false charges which he was denied legal counsel to defend himself against. His unjust detention, along with six other activists, has signaled a crackdown on Palestine activism and marks a grave shift in the historic alignment of the Tunisian state.

Letter from Comrade Ghassan El Bughdiri from Mornaguia Prison

On Monday, at three o'clock in the morning, I was informed that I would be brought before the Misdemeanour Court in Tunis 1 for a case I knew nothing about. Despite being in a very poor health condition since last Thursday, suffering from kidney pain and a severe skin rash on my right side, and while I was waiting for my right to medical treatment and a clinical examination, I found myself accused in a new case.

I was transported to the court burdened by exhaustion and hardship, with pain gnawing at my skin. I went without being able to contact any lawyer. I was then surprised to learn before the court that the substance of the case concerns events dating back to March 18, 2025, the day of the peaceful protest organized in front of MAERSK, a company complicit in the genocide in Gaza through its transportation of weapons to the occupying entity.

I defended myself alone, without the benefit of legal counsel to represent me before the court. I denied the false charges leveled against me regarding "aggravated assault." Subsequently, a seven month prison sentence was issued against me, after I was deprived of the most basic requirements for a fair trial.

The seven-month sentence handed down to me only increases our conviction that the cases engineered against us have a single goal: the liquidation of the pro-Palestine movement in Tunisia.

No matter the degree of vindictiveness, and no matter how long our detention lasts, it will only increase our commitment to this path, the path of defending just causes and national liberation movements. We will break our chains, no matter how long it takes.

Ghassan El Bughdiri 
Mornaguia Civil Prison 
May 6, 2026

Tunisian Sumud Coordination Update 
May 6, 2026

In continuation of the policies criminalizing pro-Palestine advocacy in Tunisia, and the ongoing security, judicial, and political harassment of militants supporting the Palestinian cause:

Comrade Ghassan El Boghdiri, a member of the "Sumud Flotilla 1" steering committee, has been held in Mornaguia Prison for two months "without interrogation or a hearing." This detention is linked to his activity with the Sumud Flotilla, as part of a crackdown that resulted in preventing "Flotilla 2" from sailing from Tunisia and the arrest of seven of its activists.

• Medical Negligence: Since last Thursday, Comrade Ghassan has been suffering from a very severe health crisis. He has been denied necessary medical care, leading to a drastic deterioration of his condition. Despite this, authorities continue to prevent him from receiving treatment or seeing a specialist.
• Judicial Harassment: Coinciding with his illness, authorities transferred him from prison to the "Misdemeanour Court," depriving him of his right to legal counsel. He was tried in a case filed by the Zionist company Maersk against several activists following a peaceful protest on March 18, 2025, protesting the company’s presence in Tunisia and its role in transporting weapons to the Zionist entity.

Maersk’s Role in the Genocide

Maersk—which, to our shame, still operates in Tunisia—contributed between December 30, 2019, and January 28, 2025, to at least 1,009 shipments totaling over 15.1 million pounds of military equipment linked to the global supply chains of F-35 aircraft. These shipments include, but are not limited to:

• 404 shipments of aircraft wings and components sent to Lockheed Martin for manufacturing and repair, including battery shipments delivered from Nevatim Airbase in Israel.
• 459 shipments of central airframes, aviation components, and electronics to Northrop Grumman.
• 157 shipments of wing shipping containers, wings, central airframes, and spare parts to manufacturers in Italy and Israel.
• 2 shipments of ammunition loading vehicles used to arm these aircraft, delivered directly to the Israeli company Elbit Systems.
• Shipments of surface analysis devices for aircraft maintenance, including direct deliveries to Israeli airbases.

Without these shipments, the F-35 would be unable to perform its operational missions—from fuel storage and flight control to aerial refueling and dropping bombs. This proves Maersk’s vital role in the weapon supply chain supporting the Israeli occupation army.

The Maersk Case in Tunisia

In Tunisia, Maersk recruited thugs and mercenaries who attacked the peaceful protest with sticks and sharp tools, causing several injuries among activists. The company then pushed these hirelings to file complaints against the activists for "aggravated assault" and "damage to private property."

To complete this farce, the judiciary has issued a seven-month prison sentence against militant Ghassan El Boghdiri.

Our Demands

We, in the Tunisian Sumud Commission:

• Renew our absolute solidarity with Comrade Ghassan El Boghdiri against this multi-front attack attempting to undermine his steadfastness.
• Renew our solidarity with his family, hoping for his swift release and safety.
• Demand immediate and urgent medical care for Comrade Ghassan, holding the authorities fully responsible for his physical and psychological safety.
• Demand the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Ghassan and all detainees of the Resilience Flotilla in Tunisia.
• Demand the overturning of this unjust and shameful ruling. There is no greater disgrace than for history to record that a company transporting weapons to Zionists—and playing a fundamental role in the genocide in Gaza—won a legal battle against us in Tunisia.
• Warn Maersk and Carrefour, demanding once again that they sever ties with Zionists and stop financing the genocide. There is no place in Tunisia for Zionist-linked companies.
• Call upon the Tunisian people and supporters of Palestinian rights to renew actions against Maersk and besiege it by all means until it is expelled from Tunisia or ceases transporting weapons to the zionist occupation.