Tunisia’s opposition has launched a new wave of protest against President Kais Saied’s authoritarian rule, as several prominent figures, including Rached Ghannouchi, announced they are going on hunger strike in solidarity with Jawhar Ben Mbarek, a jailed political figure whose health has sharply declined after more than nine days without food.

Ben Mbarek, co-founder of the National Salvation Front (NSF) — Tunisia’s leading opposition coalition — began his hunger strike last week to protest what he calls his unlawful detention and the collapse of democratic freedoms in the country.

The 53-year-old activist has been held since February 2023 and was handed an 18-year prison sentence in April on charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group.” Rights organizations have denounced the verdict as politically motivated, calling it part of a broader crackdown on dissent under Saied’s rule.

At a press conference in Tunis, Ezzeddine Hazgui, Ben Mbarek’s father and a long-time activist, said his son’s health is in “a critical and worsening state.”

“Jawhar is in a worrisome condition,” Hazgui said. “We will not forgive President Kais Saied for this injustice.”

Hazgui added that members of Ben Mbarek’s family will also begin a hunger strike starting Saturday to demand his release. Leaders of the Ennahdha and Al Joumhouri parties have joined in solidarity, declaring that Tunisia’s opposition will continue to resist Saied’s repression through peaceful protest.

Rached Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old head of the Ennahdha Movement and one of Tunisia’s most influential political figures, announced from prison that he too has joined the hunger strike.

In a message posted on his official Facebook page, Ghannouchi said his protest was both a gesture of solidarity with Ben Mbarek and a defense of freedom and human dignity in Tunisia.

“This hunger strike is a cry for justice — for Jawhar, and for every Tunisian denied liberty under this repressive regime,” Ghannouchi wrote.

Ghannouchi has been imprisoned since 2023 on what his supporters call fabricated charges aimed at silencing the opposition.

From his cell, Issam Chebbi, leader of the centrist Al Joumhouri Party, also began a hunger strike on Friday, according to party members.

Party official Wissam Sghaier said Al Joumhouri’s headquarters in the capital will serve as a rallying point for anyone wishing to join the protest, signaling growing unity among Tunisia’s divided opposition factions.

Representatives of the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) visited Ben Mbarek at Belli Civil Prison, southeast of Tunis, reporting a “serious deterioration” in his health condition.

The group said that despite repeated appeals, Ben Mbarek has refused to end his hunger strike, insisting he will continue until “the injustice inflicted upon him is lifted.”

Outside the prison, dozens of supporters gathered on Friday to demand his immediate release, chanting slogans against Saied’s “dictatorship” and the “political use of the judiciary.”

Prison authorities, however, denied reports of worsening health among detainees on hunger strike — a claim widely dismissed by rights groups as an attempt to downplay the crisis.

The escalating hunger strike underscores the deepening repression and polarization that have marked Tunisia’s political landscape since President Saied’s power grab in July 2021, when he suspended parliament, dissolved democratic institutions, and began ruling by decree.

Since then, dozens of opposition figures, activists, judges, and journalists have been detained under vague charges of conspiracy or terrorism, sparking condemnation from both domestic and international rights organizations.

Analysts warn that Tunisia, once seen as the sole success story of the Arab Spring, is now sliding back into authoritarianism.

“These hunger strikes are not only about political prisoners,” said a spokesperson for the National Salvation Front. “They are a cry against tyranny and a demand for Tunisia’s return to freedom and democracy.”

With Ghannouchi, Ben Mbarek, and other opposition leaders behind bars, Tunisia’s political crisis has entered a dangerous new phase — one marked by growing resistance inside prison walls and renewed calls for justice outside them. (ILKHA)