Relatives and lawyers seek information on veteran politician’s health
TUNIS: The family of jailed Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi says it has been unable to contact or visit the 85-year-old politician for 11 days after he was reportedly admitted to hospital following a collapse in prison.
Speaking to Al Jazeera on Monday, Ghannouchi’s son, Moadh Ghannouchi, said the family’s lawyers last met his father shortly before he reportedly lost consciousness on July 17. Since then, he said, repeated requests to visit him, including an application submitted to the public prosecutor, have been rejected.
According to Moadh, the family has received no official confirmation of Ghannouchi’s location or current medical condition.
He described the lack of information as resembling “a situation of enforced disappearance” and expressed concern over his father’s reported health problems, including high blood pressure and breathing difficulties.
Family raises concerns over prison conditions
Moadh Ghannouchi alleged that his father had been held in extreme heat inside Mornaguia prison, which reportedly lacks air conditioning, before his hospitalisation.
He claimed the prison conditions contributed to the veteran politician’s deteriorating health and said the family holds the authorities responsible for his wellbeing.
Meanwhile, Ghannouchi’s legal team issued a statement demanding official information about his condition. An Ennahda party spokesperson also told Al Jazeera that the party had not been informed of which hospital he was being treated in or his current state of health.
Authorities reject political allegations
Rached Ghannouchi, the former speaker of Tunisia’s parliament and a leading figure in the Ennahda movement, has been imprisoned since April 2023 after receiving a life sentence. His supporters describe the case as politically motivated, while President Kais Saied’s government has consistently denied that legal proceedings against opposition figures are politically driven.
According to the report, Ghannouchi reportedly collapsed during a period of extreme heat, while his lawyers later described his condition as critical.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has previously concluded that Ghannouchi’s detention was arbitrary and called for his release. Separately, Tunisia’s National Salvation Front and Amnesty International have urged authorities to provide information about his health and ensure adequate protection for prisoners during the ongoing heatwave.
