The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented the continued detention of 11 volunteers who were part of the Maghreb Solidarity Convoy with the Palestinian people, after their arrest in the city of Sirte on 24 May 2026 while participating in humanitarian efforts heading to the Gaza Strip.
According to CFJ’s documentation, the volunteers were detained while engaged in negotiations with local authorities regarding permission for the humanitarian convoy to proceed. They were later transferred to a detention facility in the city of Benghazi. Reports also indicate that the detainees have begun a hunger strike in protest against their continued detention, raising concerns about their health conditions and the circumstances of their detention.
Available information indicates that the detainees face restrictions on communication with their lawyers, family members, and consular representatives, while accounts also suggest that they were subjected to ill‑treatment during their detention. Questions have also been raised regarding the legal basis for their continued detention, particularly given information indicating that they had entered Libyan territory through official visas and procedures.
The detainees are: Ashraf Khoja, Lucas Ezequiel Aguilera, Maria Paula Jimenez, Ana Margarida Franca Santana Baptista, Domenico Chentrone, Leonarda “Dina” Alberizia, Jinel Jones, Matias Alvarez, Laura Kfoutchala Al‑Sibai, Mehdi Bouzgenda, and Alicia Armesto.
The Committee for Justice emphasized that arbitrary deprivation of liberty and the detention of individuals without allowing them to communicate with their lawyers and families or access due process guarantees constitutes a violation of international human rights standards. CFJ calls for the immediate release of the detainees, or their referral to legal proceedings that meet fair trial guarantees, while ensuring their safety and enabling them to communicate with their families and legal representatives.
