Tunisian opposition figures join hunger strike to support jailed politician

Prominent members of Tunisia’s governmental absorption person announced they volition beryllium joining a corporate hunger onslaught successful solidarity with jailed person Jawhar Ben Mbarek, whose wellness they accidental has severely deteriorated aft 9 days without food.

Ben Mbarek, the cofounder of Tunisia’s main absorption alliance, the National Salvation Front, launched a hunger onslaught past week to protestation his detention since February 2023.

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Ben Mbarek’s father, seasoned activistic Ezzeddine Hazgui, said during a quality league successful the superior Tunis connected Friday that his lad is successful a “worrisome condition, and his wellness is deteriorating”.

Hazgui said his household would motorboat a hunger onslaught successful solidarity with his jailed son.

“We volition not forgive [Tunisian President] Kais Saied,” helium added.

The leaders of Tunisia’s large absorption parties besides declared connected Friday that they would spell connected hunger onslaught successful solidarity with Ben Mbarek.

Among them is Issam Chebbi, the person of the centrist Al Joumhouri (Republican) Party, who is besides down bars aft being convicted successful the aforesaid wide proceedings arsenic Ben Mbarek earlier this year. Wissam Sghaier, different Al Joumhouri leader, said immoderate enactment members would travel suit.

Rached Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old person of the Ennahdha party, who is besides serving a hefty situation sentence, announced helium was joining the hunger protest.

Ghannouchi was convicted successful July of “conspiring against authorities security”, adding to erstwhile convictions, including wealth laundering, for which helium has been sentenced to much than 20 years successful situation and for which helium claims innocence.

A station connected his authoritative Facebook leafage said Ghannouchi’s hunger onslaught sought to enactment Ben Mbarek, but helium was besides taking a basal to support “the independency of justness and state successful the country”.

Ben Mbarek was sentenced successful April to 18 years down bars connected charges of “conspiracy against authorities security” and “belonging to a violent group”, successful a wide proceedings slammed by quality rights groups arsenic politically motivated.

Rights groups person warned of a crisp diminution successful civilian liberties successful the North African state since Saied won the presidency successful 2019.

A sweeping powerfulness drawback successful July 2021, erstwhile helium dissolved parliament and expanded enforcement powerfulness truthful helium could regularisation by decree, saw Saied jailhouse galore of his critics. That decree was aboriginal enshrined successful a caller constitution – ratified by a wide boycotted 2022 referendum – portion media figures and lawyers captious of Saied person besides been prosecuted and detained nether a harsh “fake news” law enacted the aforesaid year.

Most recently, lawyer and outspoken Saied professional Ahmed Souab was sentenced to 5 years successful situation connected October 31 nether Decree Law 54, arsenic the authorities is known.

The Tunisian League for Human Rights said determination person been “numerous attempts” to transportation Ben Mbarek to suspend his hunger strike, but helium has refused, saying helium is “committed to support it until the injustice inflicted upon him is lifted”.

Prison authorities denied connected Wednesday that the wellness of immoderate of its prisoners had deteriorated due to the fact that of a hunger strike.

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights successful the UK said questions person been raised regarding the situation administration’s compliance with laws governing aesculapian attraction for detainees connected hunger onslaught and the “safeguarding of their close to carnal information and quality dignity”.

“Tunisian instrumentality explicitly stipulates the state’s work to support the beingness of immoderate prisoner, adjacent if that idiosyncratic chooses hunger onslaught arsenic a signifier of protest,” the rights radical said successful a connection connected Friday.

“The situation medication is truthful obliged to guarantee due aesculapian attraction and regular monitoring,” it said, adding that Ben Mbarek’s protestation reflects “a broader clime of governmental and societal hostility that transcends his idiosyncratic situation”.

“His enactment represents a signifier of protestation against detention conditions and judicial processes that galore presumption arsenic influenced by existent governmental polarisation,” the radical said.

“Ultimately, the lawsuit of Jawhar Ben Mbarek exposes a deeper situation concerning respect for the regularisation of instrumentality and the rule of accountability,” it added.

يواصل أستاذ القانون الدستوري جوهر بن مبارك إضرابه المفتوح عن الطعام في محبسه منذ 29 أكتوبر الماضي داخل السجن المدني ببلي (ولاية نابل)، احتجاجاً على اعتقاله فيما يُعرف بقضية “التآمر على أمن الدولة”.

وتظهر المعطيات المتوفرة أن الحالة الصحية لبن مبارك تزداد هشاشة مع استمرار… pic.twitter.com/HrHwe14juE

— المنظمة العربية لحقوق الإنسان (@AohrUk_ar) November 7, 2025

Translation: Constitutional instrumentality prof Jawhar Ben Mbarek continues his open-ended hunger onslaught successful his spot of detention since October 29 wrong the civilian situation of Belli (Nabeul Governorate), successful protestation against his apprehension successful what is known arsenic the “conspiracy against authorities security” case.

Available information amusement that Ben Mbarek’s wellness information is becoming progressively fragile with the continued implicit abstention from food, which places his carnal authorities successful a captious signifier requiring precise and changeless aesculapian monitoring.