What must be remembered from the Hatem Laâouini affair, the only undefined activist for repatriation
Israel announced the repatriation of all the activists arrested on board the Hanzala ship, which was trying to break the Gaza blockade. However, the Tunisian activist Hatem Laâouini was excluded from this procedure, according to the coordinator Wael Naouar, member of the Tunisian campaign for supporting Palestine.
In a message published on Facebook, Naouar specifies that the occupation authorities have not set a date for its expulsion, unlike other foreign activists arrested during the sea operation. His defense team is currently examining the details of his file.
The situation of Laâouini is particularly delicate due to the absence of diplomatic relations between Tunisia and Israel, which deprives him of any consular support or official negotiation for his release.
Voices rise to demand his release
Turkia Chaïbi, the wife of Hatem Laâouini, recalled in a previous declaration that Palestinian lawyers of Israel (Arabs of 1948) volunteered to ensure her defense. She stressed that her husband is the most exposed among all the passengers, for lack of a state that can officially request her repatriation.
In addition, several NGOs and international institutions have denounced the interception of the flotilla on the high seas, describing it as a violation of international law and the infringement of the freedom of humanitarian solidarity.
The mission of the “Hanzala” ship for Gaza
The Hanzala boat, named after the resistance icon created by the Palestinian designer Naji al-Ali, was part of a new maritime convoy of the “Flotilla de la Liberté” movement. He had left a European port with activists on board various horizons – doctors, lawyers, parliamentarians, human rights defenders – to denounce the Israeli blockade imposed in Gaza.
The Israeli army intercepted the ship in the open sea and escorted it to the port of Ashdod. The majority of passengers have since been expelled, with the notable exception of Hatem El-Aouini.
