The president of the Ennahdha movement, Rached Ghannouchi, announced through his defense committee the launch of an indefinite hunger strike, starting Friday, November 7, in solidarity with Jaouhar Ben Mbarek, incarcerated and on strike for more than a week.
In a press release, the defense committee announced that Rached Ghannouchi, aged 84, wanted to join the protest led by Ben Mbarek, figure of the National Salvation Front, whose wild hunger strike began on October 29 at Belli prison.
According to those close to him, Ben Mbarek’s state of health has deteriorated considerably.
Three figures on strike
The secretary general of the Al Joumhouri party, Issam Chebbi, also began an open hunger strike from his cell on Friday. In a message relayed by his family and his defense team, he claims to act “in defense of the independence of justice” and calls for “the release of all prisoners of conscience”.
This triple mobilization – Ben Mbarek, Chebbi and now Ghannouchi – gives a collective dimension to a protest movement not seen since the 2023 arrests.
Denial from the General Prisons Committee
In a press release, the Tunisian Prisons Authority assured that the medical examinations carried out on the prisoners in question showed “normal and stable” conditions, without providing further details.
Since the start of the year, several opposition leaders, including Ben Mbarek and Chebbi, have received prison sentences ranging from 5 to 66 years for charges of plotting against state security.
As for Ghannouchi, he is serving several sentences totaling 37 years in prison for illicit foreign financing and endangering state security. He now refuses to appear in court, declaring that he will not appear before judges.
Read also
