Prominent Tunisian opposition figure Rached Ghannouchi, aged 84, has initiated a hunger strike in protest against what he and his supporters describe as his ‘unjust imprisonment,’ according to statements from his legal team on Saturday. Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahda party and a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, joins two other detained politicians—Jawhar Ben Mbarek and Issam Chebbi—who have also resorted to hunger strikes to demand their release. The trio’s actions underscore a broader crackdown on dissent in Tunisia, with much of the opposition now incarcerated and accusations that Saied is using the judiciary to consolidate his power, transforming the nation into what critics call an ‘open-air prison.’
Ghannouchi’s hunger strike is not only a show of solidarity with Ben Mbarek, who was sentenced to 18 years in April on charges of ‘conspiracy against state security’ and ‘belonging to a terrorist group,’ but also a stand to ‘defend freedoms in the country.’ Ghannouchi himself has been detained since 2023, facing a cumulative 37-year sentence across multiple cases, including allegations of unlawful foreign funding and plotting against the state. He has refused to participate in court proceedings, asserting that judges are acting under Saied’s directives.
Concerns over the health of the hunger strikers have escalated, with lawyers, family members, and human rights organizations warning that Ben Mbarek’s condition has deteriorated significantly. Despite these concerns, the Tunisian Prisons Authority maintains that the prisoners’ health is ‘normal and stable,’ based on medical evaluations, though it has provided no further details. Earlier this year, several opposition leaders, including Ben Mbarek and Chebbi, were handed prison sentences ranging from five to 66 years on similar charges. Human rights groups argue that these cases are politically motivated, designed to silence critics of the government.
The situation has drawn international attention, with rights organizations condemning the alleged misuse of the judiciary to suppress dissent. As the hunger strikes continue, the plight of Tunisia’s opposition figures highlights the deepening political crisis in the country and the growing tensions between the government and its critics.