Tunisian Opposition Activist Launches Hunger Strike Over Trial Exclusion

Jaouhar Ben Mbarek, a prominent Tunisian opposition activist currently facing state conspiracy charges, has initiated a hunger strike to protest being barred from appearing in person at his own trial, his legal team has announced, as per Al Jazeera.

Ben Mbarek, a member of the opposition National Salvation Front and the Citizens Against the Coup group, both critical of President Kais Saied, began his hunger strike on March 30th. He is demanding his right to be physically present in court to “refute the false charges” levied against him, according to a statement released by his lawyer, Samir Dilou, on Facebook.

Detained since February 2023, Ben Mbarek is among dozens of Tunisian politicians, activists, journalists, and other critics of President Saied who have been swept up in what rights groups are calling a widespread crackdown on dissent. Around 40 defendants, including Ben Mbarek, are jointly facing charges ranging from “plotting against state security” to “belonging to a terrorist group.”

Ben Mbarek, a former constitutional law professor, is one of nine defendants deemed too dangerous to be released from custody and therefore barred from attending courtroom sessions. While offered the option of remote attendance, Ben Mbarek argues this prevents him from mounting an effective defense. His defense team insists he demands “being present to defend himself and expose the baseless accusations against him in a proper courtroom setting – not in a staged remote session held in a prison facility.”

President Saied has faced mounting criticism for dismantling the democratic gains achieved after the 2011 Tunisian revolution. His power grab in July 2021, which saw him shutter parliament, dismiss its speaker and prime minister, and introduce rule by decree, has drawn international condemnation. He later dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and implemented a new constitution that significantly strengthened his presidential powers. Many of those currently on trial, including Ben Mbarek, were vocal critics of these actions.

Alongside Ben Mbarek, other prominent figures on trial include former presidential chief of staff Nadia Akacha, former head of intelligence Kamel Guizani, and Abdelhamid Jelassi, the former leader of the opposition Ennahdha party. Jelassi, like Ben Mbarek, was arrested in 2023.

President Saied has branded the defendants as “traitors and terrorists,” maintaining that he will not become a dictator but insists on holding those who are corrupt accountable.