In protest of his ongoing arbitrary detention and investigation, Tunisian political prisoner Johar Ben Mubarak started a hunger strike.
Ben Mubarak reportedly informed the Defense Authority for Political Prisoners in Tunisia that he “went on a hunger strike starting on the night between Monday, September 25, and Tuesday, September 26,” in protest of “the judicial farce led by the investigating judge in Office 36 in the anti-terrorism department.”
Ben Mubarak has stated that he “will not end this strike until his release and the release of all those charged in this fabricated case.”
Jawhar Ben Mubarak is a professor of constitutional law, the founder of the “Our Constitution” network, and one of the founders of the “Citizens Against the Coup” movement. Along with other opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied, he has been held since last February as part of the “conspiracy against state security” case.
Tunisian President Kais Saied enacted “extraordinary” measures on July 25, 2021, including freezing the Parliament, passing laws by executive order, removing the Prime Minister, and dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council.
Since then, Tunisian authorities have resorted to arbitrary house arrests and unlawful travel bans against dozens of individuals, while military courts have increasingly targeted critics of the president with repressive laws.
Along the same lines, a number of Tunisian lawmakers were detained, raising grave concern about the country’s deteriorating record on freedom of expression and human rights.
