Tunisia opposition detainees begin hunger strike in prison
A number of Tunisian opposition figures have begun an open hunger strike after being detained for over a year Asharq Al-Awsat and agencies reports.
Six Tunisian opposition figures who have been in prison for one year without former charges or trial began their open hunger strike on the 12th of February as part of their resistance.
The detainees were held on charges of incitement and “plotting against state security”.
The detainees include politician Khayam Turki, dissident and politician Abdelhamid Jlassi, Secretary-General of the Republican Party, lawyer Issam Chebbi, former Secretary-General of the Tayyar Party, lawyer Ghazi Chaouachi, lawyer Ridha Belhadj and leading member of the National Salvation Front and law professor Jaouhar Ben Mbarek.
Lawyer and member of the detainees’ defence team, Dalia Mbarek, Ben Mbarek’s sister stated: “The detainees consider themselves prisoners and hostages in the Mornaguia Prison as they have been detained for 356 days without committing a crime.” She continued saying “To date, there has been no evidence that any of the detainees had committed a crime.”
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As well as the open hunger strike, the detainees released a statement asking for their immediate release. Within the statement, the six detainees demanded that the authorities cease meddling in judicial affairs, “stop threatening judges and intimidating defence lawyers held for expressing freedom of speech.”
On top of this, they called on authorities to terminate the security and judicial prosecutions of all politicians and civil society activists who have also suffered injustice.
The opposition accuses President Kais Saied, who overhauled the political system in 2021 “to rectify the course of the revolution and combat corruption”, of fabricating charges against political dissidents and pressuring the judiciary.
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Asharq Al-Awsat and agencies.
