Jailed Tunisian opposition leader Jawhar Ben Mbarek is in an alarming condition after a week on hunger strike, his lawyers and sister said on Wednesday.
Ben Mbarek, co-founder of the National Salvation Front, began refusing food on 28 October to protest his imprisonment, which dates back to February 2023.
In April, a Tunisian court sentenced him to 18 years in prison on charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group,” in a mass trial widely denounced by rights organisations.
His sister, lawyer Dalila Msaddek, said she barely recognised him during a recent visit to his northern Tunisia cell.
“He was pale, weak, and could hardly move or speak,” she said tearfully in a video statement. “He feels deeply wronged and simply wants to leave.”
Rights groups say Ben Mbarek’s case highlights the sharp erosion of civil liberties since President Kais Saied’s power grab in July 2021.
Under Decree 54, introduced in 2022 to curb “false news,” dozens of opposition figures and journalists have been prosecuted, including Ben Mbarek in a separate case.
Defence lawyer Samir Dilou, who saw him on Tuesday, described his condition as “worrisome” and urged authorities to provide immediate medical attention.
Another lawyer, Ayachi Hammami, called for Ben Mbarek’s urgent transfer to hospital, holding the prison administration and government “responsible for anything that might happen.”
Tunisia’s prison authority rejected the claims, asserting that all inmates on hunger strike are under continuous medical supervision.
“The health of the individuals concerned is normal and stable,” the general prison committee said in a statement, insisting that regular examinations confirm no deterioration.
Ben Mbarek remains one of Tunisia’s most prominent opposition voices — now silenced by confinement, yet echoing through a nation still wrestling with its democratic promise.