Jailed Ennahda leader hospitalized in Tunisia after hunger strike

TUNIS, Tunisia

The jailed deputy leader of Tunisia's opposition Ennahda movement was hospitalized after a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment, his group said on Monday.

"Noureddine el-Bhiri was moved from prison to the intensive care unit after an 18-day hunger strike," Riyadh Chouaibi, an adviser to Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, said in a Facebook post.

Bhiri "is facing death again in defense of his basic rights," he added.

Chouaibi accused Tunisian authorities of "freezing" a lawsuit filed by Bhiri claiming torture during his arrest in February 2023.

"His only request is to have the right to litigation," he added.

Bhiri, a former justice minister, was jailed on charges of "conspiring against state security."

In December 2021, he was placed under house arrest on terror suspicions over accusations of issuing travel and citizenship documents to people allegedly accused of terrorism. These accusations were overturned on March 8, 2022, but remained under investigation.

There was no comment from the Tunisian authorities on the report.

Tunisia has seen a wave of arrests, including media figures, activists, judges, businessmen, and politicians since February 2023.

Tunisian President Kais Saied accused some of those detained of "plotting against state security,” allegations vehemently denied by the Ennahda group.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that has aggravated the country's economic conditions since 2021 when Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar