The family and legal team of imprisoned Tunisian opposition leader Jawhar Ben Mbarek accused prison authorities on Wednesday of brutally assaulting him in an attempt to end his two-week hunger strike.
Ben Mbarek, one of the most prominent critics of President Kais Saied, was arrested in 2023 and sentenced earlier this year to 18 years in prison on charges of conspiring to overthrow the president, allegations he has repeatedly denied, calling them politically motivated.
“Ben Mbarek faced torture. He was severely beaten, we saw fractures and bruises on his body,” his lawyer Hanen Khmiri told reporters. “He told me that four prison guards beat him in a place where there are no surveillance cameras.”
The Tunisian prison authority did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment but earlier this week denied reports that hunger-striking detainees were in poor health. Despite the alleged assault, Ben Mbarek’s family said he has refused to abandon his protest.
His hunger strike is part of a broader campaign by at least five jailed opposition leaders, including 84-year-old Rached Ghannouchi, head of the main opposition Ennahda party, as well as Issam Chebbi, Reda Belhaj, and Abdelhamid Jlassi.
All are demanding their release, claiming the charges against them are fabricated.
Ben Mbarek’s father said he holds President Saied personally responsible for his son’s safety. “I reported the attack to the prison director, who promised to investigate the allegations,” he said.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Saied’s government of using the judiciary to silence dissent and intimidate opponents. Since seizing most powers in 2021 and ruling by decree, a move critics have described as a coup, Saied has jailed dozens of political figures, activists, and journalists.
The president has rejected accusations of authoritarianism, insisting that Tunisia’s judiciary operates independently. He has also branded opposition leaders “traitors,” “mercenaries,” and “terrorists,” and warned that any judges who acquit them are “their accomplices.”
Ben Mbarek’s reported beating has further fueled international concern over Tunisia’s human rights situation as the country faces mounting political repression and economic turmoil.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
