Tunisia: Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience Between Death and Slow Agony – Joint Statement

The signatory human rights organizations express their deep concern and strong dissatisfaction regarding the alarming deterioration of public freedoms and human rights in Tunisia. This situation unfolds in a context where repressive policies are intensifying, the judiciary is being instrumentalized to eliminate opponents and dissenting voices and violence against peaceful social movements is escalating, as exemplified by the city of Gabès, which is facing a severe environmental and health crisis. 

The situation of activist Jawher Ben Mohamed Ben Mabrouk and his hunger strike 

We strongly condemn the violent assault suffered by the activist and justice defender Jawher Ben Mabrouk, who is imprisoned in what the authorities describe as a “case of conspiracy against state security.” He was beaten by both prison officers and common-law inmates in the presence of the prison administration, which failed to intervene to protect him. This attack caused serious injuries and loss of consciousness, while he enters his third week of hunger strike. 

We hold the de facto authorities fully responsible for this assault and the flagrant violation it represents—which is not subject to limitation—and call on bodies responsible for the prevention of torture to intervene urgently. 

Furthermore, we condemn the persistent attitude of the prison administration, which refuses to assume responsibility, denies Jawher Ben Mabrouk’s hunger strike and the alarming deterioration of his health and targets the lawyers who exposed these facts to the public, falsely accusing them of spreading misinformation. 

We express our grave concern regarding the health of Jawher Ben Mabrouk and other hunger strikers, who are subjected to arbitrary detention, deliberate harassment and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. 

At the same time, we recall the worrying deterioration of the health of the activist and Speaker of the Tunisian Parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, who recently announced he would begin an unlimited hunger strike in solidarity with Jawher Ben Mabrouk, despite his advanced age and pre-existing health conditions. Several opposition political leaders have joined this initiative. 

We alert the de facto authorities: persisting in ignoring their legitimate demands, refusing to ensure a fair and transparent trial, access to proper medical care and dignified detention conditions gravely endangers their lives and demonstrates a blatant disregard for fundamental human rights and Tunisia’s international commitments. 

Instrumentalized prosecutions and collapse of minimum standards of justice 

Tunisia is undergoing a phase marked by a series of politically motivated trials, conducted in blatant violation of the basic standards of fairness, impartiality and judicial independence. Cases are handled under direct executive pressure and follow a logic of retaliation against independent voices. These trials are accompanied by severe violations, including: 

1. Undermining the right to defense, with restrictions imposed on lawyers, sometimes preventing them from accessing case files or communicating freely with their clients;

2. Absence of defendants at hearings, depriving them of their fundamental right to defend themselves;

3. Refusal to ensure public access to trials, despite legal and normative foundations, in direct contradiction with the principle of judicial transparency;

4. Hasty issuance of judgments without allowing the defense to present arguments—as in the case of Maître Ahmed Souab—which has deeply shocked public opinion and independent judicial bodies. 

Inhumane prison conditions 

Since the July 25, 2021, coup, the situation in Tunisian prisons has seriously deteriorated, particularly concerning political prisoners and those arrested for their opinions. 

The annual report of the National Authority for the Prevention of Torture indicates that overcrowding exceeds 160% in several facilities, notably in Mornaguia and Borj El Amri. According to the Authority, this makes it impossible to respect minimal conditions of human dignity. Local and international organizations have also highlighted systematic violations, including: 

• Prolonged isolation of numerous political prisoners in single cells for 23 hours a day, without any judicial justification;

• Denial of medical care, despite some detainees suffering from serious chronic illnesses—cardiac, diabetic, rheumatic, or cancerous—leading to alarming deterioration of their health;

• Insufficient food and lack of drinking water in several facilities;

• Arbitrary restrictions on family visits and meetings with lawyers, sometimes including confiscation of defense documents, in clear violation of fair trial guarantees;

• Abusive prison transfers documented by Avocats Sans Frontières, used as a form of punishment or isolation, intended to psychologically weaken detainees. 

All these elements testify to a catastrophic prison situation, in direct contradiction with international standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Nelson Mandela Rules on the treatment of prisoners. 

The signatory organizations alert the de facto authorities to the gravity of these practices, which represent a major drift of the judicial system and a violation of Articles 27 and 108 of the Tunisian Constitution, as well as the country’s international obligations. They assert that these measures clearly aim to silence dissenting voices, repress opponents, and intimidate civil society and independent media. 

Aggravation of the environmental crisis in Gabès and violence against residents 

Continuing a policy of intimidation, terror and shirking responsibility, the de facto authorities have ignored the environmental and health disaster that has affected the Gabès governorate for several weeks. This crisis stems from emissions of gases and toxic substances from the chemical complex, causing severe air pollution and a notable increase in fainting and respiratory distress, especially among students and children in schools. 

Residents who organized peaceful demonstrations to demand their right to a healthy environment and a dignified life faced violent repression: brutal dispersals, arrests, injuries, and cases of trampling among protesters. 

The situation has worsened with authorities’ attempts to discredit these mobilizations, accusing civil actors and human rights defenders of inciting chaos or conspiring against the state—a strategy aimed at criminalizing legitimate demands and concealing chronic environmental failures affecting Gabès. 

Consequently, the signatory organizations and associations call for: 

1. The immediate and unconditional release of Jawher Ben Mabrouk and all prisoners of conscience;

2. The opening of an independent investigation into the conditions of detention of Jawher Ben Mabrouk, the assault he suffered, and the acts of torture endured, while he has been on hunger strike for more than two weeks;

3. The cessation of arbitrary trials, ensuring judicial independence, public hearings, and full respect for the right to defense; 

4. Holding accountable those responsible for police violence against peaceful protesters in Gabès and ensuring such practices do not recur;

5. An urgent appeal to national and international bodies to protect the lives of detainees and uphold the right to freedom, dignity and a healthy environment. 

Signatory organizations

1. Sawt Horr Organization for the Defense of Human Rights – Paris 

2. Association of Torture Victims – Geneva 

3. IFED International – Brussels 

4. Al-Shehab Center for Human Rights – London 

5. Alkarama for Human Rights – Geneva 

6. SAM Organization for Rights and Freedoms – Geneva 

7. Solidarity for Human Rights 

8. Organization Justice for Human Rights (JHR) 

9. Organization Association for the Defense of Justice in Tunisia – Paris