A key opposition figure in Tunisia has been admitted to hospital after suffering severe dehydration, his family said Friday, following a hunger strike lasting more than two weeks.
Jawhar Ben Mbarek, who helped establish Tunisia’s main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, has been in custody since February 2023. His family warned that his health had taken a serious turn for the worse as he continued the strike to protest his imprisonment.
Ben Mbarek’s sister, Dalila Ben Mbarek Msaddek, shared on Facebook that doctors found "a highly dangerous toxin" in his kidneys linked to the hunger strike.
Despite receiving medical care at the hospital he was moved to Thursday night, he "refused nutritional supplements" and insisted on continuing his protest. He was returned to prison on Friday afternoon.
Earlier this week, his relatives and lawyer reported that Ben Mbarek was beaten by prison guards at Belli prison. His lawyer, Hanen Khemiri, confirmed that she had filed a complaint alleging torture with the public prosecutor, while authorities said they had launched an investigation into the claims.
In April, after over two years in pre-trial detention, Ben Mbarek was sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of "conspiracy against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group" in a large trial criticised by human rights organisations.
Rights advocates say civil liberties in Tunisia have sharply declined since President Kais Saied’s broad consolidation of power in July 2021, with many of his critics now behind bars.
Several other opposition leaders, including Rached Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old Ennahdha party chief, have joined a hunger strike to support Ben Mbarek.
Prison officials, however, maintain that all detainees, including those on hunger strike, are under "continuous medical supervision" and have denied reports of deteriorating health.
