The leader of Tunisia's Ennahda movement, Rached Ghannouchi, launched a hunger and medication strike five days ago to protest the "complete isolation" imposed on him at a hospital, his defense team said Monday.
In a statement published on Ghannouchi's Facebook page, the defense team said that the 85-year-old Ennahda leader was transferred to a hospital on July 29.
"Since then, complete isolation has been imposed on him, with his lawyers and family prevented from visiting him, communicating with him or even being provided with any information about his health condition, despite repeated requests submitted to all concerned authorities," the statement said.
"In light of this total blackout on information, the defense team learned that Ghannouchi began a hunger and medication strike on Aug. 6 to protest his isolation and deprivation of his most basic rights, as a last resort to defend them," it said.
The team said practices against Ghannouchi amid his "delicate health condition" amount to "inhuman abuse" and "a serious violation of his basic rights and physical safety."
The defense team held Tunisian authorities "fully responsible for these violations and for any serious complications that may result and threaten the health and life of its client." It demanded that "his lawyers and family be allowed to visit him and check on his health condition."
Later, Ennahda strongly condemned in a statement what it described as the "systematic mistreatment" of Ghannouchi in prison, calling it "a serious violation of his fundamental rights and arbitrary detention."
The movement held "the authorities and the Justice Ministry fully responsible for any harm to Ghannouchi's physical safety."
It renewed its call for respect for detainees' fundamental rights, particularly access to healthcare and communication with their families and lawyers.
Ennahda also urged national and international human rights organizations to "fulfil their humanitarian and legal role in ending these injustices."
It demanded the "immediate release of Ghannouchi and all political detainees" and an end to what it called their mistreatment.
As of 1800GMT, Tunisian authorities had not commented on the statements.
Ghannouchi, the former speaker of the parliament dissolved by President Kais Saied, has been in prison since his arrest on April 17, 2023.
A court ordered his detention in a case related to remarks attributed to him, on charges of "incitement against state security." He was later handed prison sentences in several cases, but he rejects the charges as politically motivated.
Tunisian authorities say Ghannouchi and other defendants are being prosecuted on criminal charges and deny any political interference in judicial proceedings. Critics and opposition figures, however, argue that the cases are part of a wider campaign targeting opponents of the Tunisian president.
