Skip links

Ben Mbarek Continues His Brutal Hunger Strike, and Ghannouchi and Chebbi Join Him

November 8, 2025

The wave of hunger strikes that began in late October, initiated by constitutional law professor Jawhar Ben Mbarek, who is imprisoned in connection with the so-called “conspiracy against state security” case, continues in several Tunisian prisons.

In recent days, prominent political figures have joined the strike, including Rached Ghannouchi (84 years old), head of the Ennahdha Party, and Issam Chebbi, Secretary-General of the Republican Party, in addition to a number of activists and members of Ben Mbarek’s family who have announced a solidarity hunger strike from outside the prison.

According to their defense teams, Ghannouchi and Chebbi began an open-ended hunger strike inside prison on November 7 and 8, respectively, to protest the politicization of the judiciary and their continued detention without a fair trial.

Meanwhile, medical sources in prison report that Jawhar Ben Mbarek’s health has deteriorated significantly after more than ten days of completely refusing food, water, and medication, and that he is now unable to move inside the prison in Belli, Nabeul Governorate.

The recent collective hunger strikes have brought renewed attention to the state of public freedoms within Tunisian prisons and the increasing number of political detainees on hunger strike. International organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have deemed the ongoing trials to be lacking in basic safeguards and being used to eliminate political opponents.

The expansion of the hunger strikes from inside prisons to outside, with the involvement of detainees’ families and civil society activists, appears to reflect growing frustration with the stalled legal process and the transformation of the strike into a symbolic means of defending the right to freedom and justice.

Background:

Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Rached Ghannouchi, and Issam Chebbi are being tried in what is known as the “Conspiracy Against State Security 1 and 2” cases, which date back to February 2023 when authorities launched a wave of arrests targeting politicians, lawyers, journalists, and union members on charges related to “attempting to undermine public order” and “conspiring with foreign entities.”

In April 2025, the Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance issued harsh sentences against a number of defendants, of up to 66 years in prison, against more than 40 individuals, including an 18-year sentence for Jawhar Ben Mbarek.

International human rights organizations described the case as a purely political trial lacking the most basic requirements of a fair trial and based on vague charges without concrete evidence.

The Freedom for Tunisia Observatory demands:

  • Urgent and independent medical examinations for hunger strikers, and guaranteed continuous medical monitoring within prisons.
  • An independent judicial investigation into the conditions of detention and treatment within prison facilities, particularly in Belli and Mornaguia prisons.
  • The immediate release of those detained on politically motivated charges, and guarantees of respect for the right to a fair trial.
  • An end to the policy of medical neglect and starvation as a means of pressure or punishment against political prisoners, with respect for international standards for the treatment of detainees.

Share

More Posts

عربية
Français
Icon-x Facebook Instagram Tiktok Youtube

Call to Action

Website petition: Freedom for prisoners of conscience and activists in Tunisia!

Tunisia is no longer the Arab exception that inspired the world in 2011 with a heroic revolution that overthrew the rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who ruled for nearly 23 years after seizing power on November 7, 1987, in a coup against Habib Bourguiba.

In a similar and perhaps more dangerous move, on the night of July 25, 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied carried out a “constitutional coup” in accordance with his personal interpretation of Article 80 of the 2014 Revolutionary Constitution, announcing that he had taken a set of exceptional measures due to the “imminent danger” that threatens Tunisia without providing any details or reasons.

In accordance with these measures, Saied dismissed the government and the prime minister Hichem Mechichi who was present at the National Security Council that night at the Carthage Palace, and claimed that he had contacted the Speaker of Parliament Rached Ghannouchi (leader of the Ennahdha party) to consult with him in accordance with what is stipulated by the constitution, a claim which Ghannouchi denied since the call was general and did not include anything about exceptional measures or any consultation on the matter. The president suspended Parliament and later dissolved it in March 2022.

Not only did Saied seek to bypass his powers and the articles of the Constitution, which he swore to protect before the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, but he went on to dismiss and change the composition of the Supreme Judicial Council after redefining the judiciary it as a “function” rather than an independent authority. He further replaced members of the Supreme Electoral Commission in preparation for the referendum he held in order to vote on a constitution that he wrote himself after dismissing the proposals of the drafting committee he had himself appointed. Then legislative elections were held over two rounds, in which the participation rate did not exceed 8% of the total number of voters, with the Election Commission later announcing that it had reached 11%, which is the lowest participation rate in Tunisia and globally.

On February 11, President Saied’s regime launched a campaign of protests that has not stopped since, against political leaders, media figures, journalists, judges and senior officials and civil servants, for charges of “conspiring against the security of the state and committing an offensive act against the President of the Republic,” in addition to other charges that were referred to the military prosecution, leading one to wonder about the implication of the Tunisian army in the actions taken by Saied.

The arbitrary arrests were marred by several procedural violations amid criticism from prominent international organizations and observatories in the field of human rights. The standards of litigation and detention period and conditions were not respected. Prosecution and harassment sometimes extended to the detainees’ families, and no evidence, and in many cases, no charges against them were presented.

Moreover trade unions and political parties continue to be subjected to constant harassment and restrictions. Saied continues to target all “intermediary bodies” accusing them of “collaboration” or “treason”. Civil society associations have also been subjected to prosecution, arbitrary arrests and deprivation from representation, in a context of of increasing violence in society due to the authorities’ adoption of racist and discriminatory speeches and rhetoric inciting infighting and violating human dignity.

In light of the above, we, the undersigned, demand the following:

Call for the immediate release of all political detainees, immediately and unconditionally. We also urge the Tunisian authorities to recognize the national and the international human rights treaties they have ratified.
Call on the Tunisian authorities to stop dismantling the nascent democracy and put an end to unfair trials and prosecutions against political opponents of the regime and anyone who criticises it.
Call on all activists and observers to join the national movement for restoring democracy and ending authoritarian rule that has taken Tunisia back to despotism, injustice, and violations of rights and freedoms.