Prominent Tunisian opposition figures have launched a collective hunger strike in solidarity with Jawhar Ben Mbarek, a constitutional law professor jailed since February 2023 and sentenced to 18 years in a mass trial criticised by rights groups. Supporters say his health has deteriorated after several days without food, though sources differ on the exact start date. Opposition leaders—including Issam Chebbi and Rached Ghannouchi—have pledged to join, framing the protest as a defence of judicial independence. Human rights organisations have called for medical safeguards and warned the case highlights a broader crisis over the rule of law in Tunisia.
Tunisian Opposition Begins Collective Hunger Strike to Support Jailed Politician Jawhar Ben Mbarek
Tunisian opposition leaders join hunger strike in solidarity with Jawhar Ben Mbarek
Prominent figures from Tunisia’s political opposition have announced a coordinated hunger strike to support Jawhar Ben Mbarek, a constitutional law professor and co‑founder of the National Salvation Front, whose supporters say his health has sharply deteriorated after several days without food.
Ben Mbarek, detained in February 2023, was sentenced in April to 18 years in prison in a mass trial that international rights groups have widely condemned as politically motivated. Reports differ on the exact start date of his hunger strike—some cite last week, others say Oct. 29—yet all sources agree his condition is fragile and requires close medical monitoring.
At a news conference in Tunis, Ben Mbarek’s father, veteran activist Ezzeddine Hazgui, described his son’s state as “worrisome” and said the family would begin a hunger strike in solidarity. "We will not forgive [President] Kais Saied," Hazgui added.
"Tunisian law explicitly stipulates the state’s responsibility to protect the life of any prisoner, even if that person chooses hunger strike as a form of protest,"
Leaders of major opposition parties also pledged to join the protest. Issam Chebbi, head of the centrist Al Joumhouri (Republican) Party—who is himself detained following the same mass trial—announced his participation, and other party members indicated they would follow. Rached Ghannouchi, the 84‑year‑old leader of Ennahdha who is serving a lengthy prison sentence, said he would join the strike to defend judicial independence and freedom.
Human rights organisations cite a broader decline in civil liberties in Tunisia since President Kais Saied’s 2019 election. They point to Saied’s July 2021 move to dissolve parliament and rule by decree, a new constitution ratified amid a widely boycotted 2022 referendum, and prosecutions under a strict "fake news" law enacted in 2022. Most recently, lawyer and Saied critic Ahmed Souab received a five‑year sentence on Oct. 31 under Decree Law 54.
The Tunisian League for Human Rights said officials have tried repeatedly to persuade Ben Mbarek to suspend his hunger strike, but he remains committed to continue until he believes the perceived injustice is addressed. Prison authorities, however, denied that any inmate’s health had deteriorated due to a hunger strike.
The Arab Organisation for Human Rights – UK raised concerns about whether the prison administration is meeting its legal obligations to provide medical care and to protect the dignity and safety of detainees refusing food. The group argued Ben Mbarek’s action highlights wider political and judicial tensions and underscores questions about the rule of law and accountability in Tunisia.
Note: reporting includes slightly different timelines from local sources about when the hunger strike began; both versions are noted because medical attention and monitoring needs are central to all accounts.
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