TUNIS / Adel al-Thabti / AA

The Tunisian Solidarity Authority announced on Tuesday the continued detention of four activists of the 'Solidarity Fleet' to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, for more than four months, after the judiciary refused to release three of them.

The authority said in a statement that the investigating judge of the Economic and Financial Judicial Pole, after a hearing, rejected the request to release its member Nabil al-Shennawi and decided to keep him detained in Mornaguia Prison, west of the capital Tunis.

It added that the judiciary also rejected two release requests submitted by lawyers on behalf of authority members Wael Nawar and Ghassan al-Henchiri.

The investigating judge had rejected days earlier the release request of the fourth activist, Ghassan al-Boughdiri, meaning that the four activists remain detained since last March.

There was no immediate comment from the Tunisian authorities regarding the authority's statement.

Simultaneously with al-Shennawi's appearance before the judiciary, dozens of activists demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Judicial Pole in the capital, demanding his release and that of his colleagues, according to an AA correspondent.

On March 16, the Tunisian judiciary issued detention orders against seven members of the executive body of the 'Solidarity Fleet,' pending investigations related to suspicions of financial flows and money laundering.

The decision included Wael Nawar, Nabil al-Shennawi, Ghassan al-Henchiri, Ghassan al-Boughdiri, Mohamed Amine Ben Nour, Jawaher Channa, and Sanaa al-Mesahli.

On April 17, the judiciary released al-Mesahli, while Channa was released on April 23.

On May 22, the judiciary decided to release Mohamed Amine Ben Nour after 78 days of detention, leaving al-Shennawi, Nawar, al-Henchiri, and al-Boughdiri in custody.

The Solidarity Authority and the defense committee for the activists demand the release of the detainees, saying their activities were linked to solidarity movements with Palestinians and attempts to break the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.