Eastern Libyan authorities have released 10 activists from a land convoy heading to the Gaza Strip after they had been detained for nearly a month in the city of Sirte while attempting to negotiate passage through Libya to Egypt.
The release process began on Tuesday evening, according to the Foreign Ministry affiliated with the eastern-based government in Benghazi.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which organised the land convoy alongside a maritime mission to Gaza last month, said four of the activists had already been deported to Tunisia. They were identified as Tunisian national Ashraf Khoja, Italians Domenico Centroni and Leonarda Albreitsia, and Uruguayan activist Matias Rodriguez.
Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, also confirmed the deportation of the Italian nationals in a post on social media platform X.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the flotilla said the remaining detainees were expected to be released within the next 24 hours.
The activists’ detention sparked criticism from international rights groups and raised concerns about legal procedures and transparency. Amnesty International said some of the detainees had been subjected to enforced disappearance following their arrest and highlighted poor health conditions at a detention facility run by Libya’s Internal Security Agency in Benghazi.
The activists had been on hunger strike since June 1 in protest against their detention. Consular representatives from their home countries visited them and called for their release.
The convoy, involving around 200 volunteers, had sought to reach the Rafah border crossing to deliver humanitarian and medical aid to Gaza as part of a broader solidarity campaign organised by the Global Sumud Flotilla to challenge the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave.
Eastern Libyan authorities previously accused some of the activists of supporting Hamas and said they had entered Libya without completing the required legal procedures and travel permits.