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Deterioration of the Health Condition of Said Ferjani and Continued Hunger Strike of Jawhar Ben Mbarek

 The Freedom for Tunisia Observatory Calls For Urgent Medical Intervention and an Independent Investigation

November 6 2025 – The Freedom for Tunisia Observatory is following with grave concern the deteriorating health of both Said Ferjani, detained former member of parliament and political leader, and Professor Jawhar Ben Mbarek, human rights activist and academic, who have begun hunger strikes in prison to protest what they consider unfair and arbitrary legal proceedings and detention conditions.
 
According to confirmed human rights reports, Said Ferjani’s health has seriously deteriorated in recent days as a result of his brutal hunger strike and refusal to take medication, leading to repeated fainting spells. He has since decided to temporarily suspend his strike due to his deteriorating health.
 
Meanwhile, Jawhar Ben Mbarek continues his hunger strike despite medical warnings and appeals from his family and legal team, who recently visited him and confirmed that he has refused to end his strike in protest against his detention conditions and ill-treatment in prison.
 
These developments come amid a surge in hunger strikes within several Tunisian prisons, fueled by growing reports of human rights abuses against political detainees and delays in their legal proceedings.
 
Families of detainees and their legal representatives express concern over the deteriorating health of a number of prisoners and the lack of independent oversight of detention conditions and treatment within prisons. They demand immediate access for human rights and medical organizations.
 
The Freedom for Tunisia Observatory affirms that the right to physical integrity and freedom from torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment is guaranteed by the Tunisian Constitution and international conventions. It emphasizes that hunger strikes are a peaceful means of expressing grievances and should not be met with indifference or punishment.
 
The Observatory warns of the dangers of medical neglect or delays in intervention, which pose a direct threat to the lives of prisoners, particularly in cases of severe hunger strikes requiring continuous medical monitoring and specialized care.
 
The Freedom for Tunisia Observatory demands:
  • That Said Ferjani and Jawhar Ben Mbarek receive urgent and independent medical care, and that their families be allowed unrestricted visits.
  • An independent investigation into the conditions of detention and treatment in prisons, and their compliance with national and international standards.
  • The judicial authorities are urged to expedite the review of politically motivated cases to guarantee the right to defense and a fair trial.
  • That human rights organizations, particularly the National Authority for the Prevention of Torture and the International Committee of the Red Cross, be granted immediate access to detention facilities to assess the humanitarian situation of the hunger strikers.

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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.