Rached Ghannouchi, the imprisoned leader of Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda movement, has begun refusing food and medication in protest against what his legal team described as his “complete isolation” while receiving treatment in hospital.
Ghannouchi’s defence committee said in a statement that he was transferred to hospital on July 29 after his health deteriorated. According to the lawyers, he has since been prevented from receiving visits from both his family and legal representatives.
The committee said Ghannouchi began a hunger and medication strike on August 6 to protest what it described as his isolation and the denial of his rights.
His lawyers called the strike a “last resort” to defend those rights and warned that his health remains fragile. They held the Tunisian authorities responsible for any deterioration in his condition and demanded immediate access for his lawyers and family members, as well as information about his medical status.
The development comes amid repeated speculation over Ghannouchi’s health, including false reports circulating in recent weeks claiming he had died after being transferred from prison to hospital. Tunisian authorities denied those reports.
Tunisia’s prison authority said in a statement on July 27 that all necessary measures were being taken to ensure appropriate detention conditions and healthcare for prisoners. It also denied reports that some detainees’ health had deteriorated because of high temperatures or that families and lawyers had been systematically denied visits.
The authority said prisoners receive medical care inside detention facilities, while cases requiring specialist treatment are referred to public hospitals.
Ghannouchi was arrested in April 2023 and faces several cases involving allegations including corruption and conspiracy against state security. Courts have handed him lengthy prison sentences in a number of cases, while other proceedings remain ongoing.
Ghannouchi served for decades as one of Tunisia’s most prominent Islamist political figures and led Ennahda, the country’s main Islamist movement, through the political transition that followed the 2011 uprising.