The detained Tunisian journalist Saleh Attia, who has been detained over his statements about the army, continues his hunger strike for the 14th consecutive day.
Abdelrazzaq Al-Kilani, member of the defense team for Attia, said that “Saleh’s case is purely political, aimed at settling political scores with a dissident.”
He stated during the press conference held by the defense team in Tunis that “Attia was describing the events of July 25, 2021, as a coup, and wrote articles that these measures were against the law, constitution and international standards”, adding that the health condition of Attia is deteriorating every day since he has been on a hunger strike since July 20.
Al-Kilani emphasised that the arrest of Attia is arbitrary and illegal, and his next session in the military court will take place on August 16, 2022.
On June 13, 2022, a military investigative judge in Tunisia ordered the detention of Attia pending investigation on the statements he made about the army. The Journalists Syndicate then strongly rejected the trial of civilians before military courts.
Attia made statements on Al-Jazeera channel, in which he said that President Qais Saeed ordered the military to close the headquarters of the Labor Union for calling for a mass strike, however the military refused to close the Labor Unions’ headquarters and informed its leaders of this decision.
Since July 25, 2022, Tunisia has been going through political crisis, after President Kais Saied took extreme measures including freezing the Parliament, lifting the immunity of MPs, abolishing the constitutionality monitoring body, issuing legislation by presidential decrees, heading the Public Prosecution, and dismissing the Prime Minister, and assuming the executive authority with the assistance of a government.
Former officials, MPs, judges, human rights defenders, and media organisations in Tunisia have been subjected to restrictions, security prosecutions, arrests and trials.
