Tunisia bars family and lawyers from seeing jailed opposition leader Ghannouchi after prison collapse

The family of jailed Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi says it has been unable to see or contact him for 11 days after he collapsed in prison and was taken to hospital. His son, Moadh Ghannouchi, said requests to visit the 85-year-old in hospital were refused, including one submitted to the public prosecutor. The family says it has received no official confirmation of his whereabouts or condition.

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According to the account given by his son, the last time lawyers saw Ghannouchi was days before he temporarily lost consciousness on 17 July. Moadh Ghannouchi said his father has high blood pressure and difficulty breathing, and that he had been held in a prison without air conditioning during a severe heatwave. He said the family had been left with conflicting rumours on social media, including claims that Ghannouchi was at Rabta public hospital in Tunis, at a military hospital, or had suffered a heart attack.

Ghannouchi's defence team issued a statement on Monday demanding information about his condition, while an Ennahda party spokesperson said the party did not know which hospital he was in or what his state of health was. The family has accused the authorities of refusing to communicate, and Moadh Ghannouchi said the situation was like an enforced disappearance. He also said the authorities were responsible for his condition, alleging that confinement in a stifling prison had worsened his health.

The case is politically sensitive because Ghannouchi is the former speaker of parliament and one of the most prominent figures detained in President Kais Saied's crackdown on opponents. He has been jailed since April 2023 after receiving a life sentence, which his supporters say was politically motivated. Saied's government denies that prosecutions of opponents are politically driven, but the detention of such a senior opposition figure continues to draw scrutiny over Tunisia's treatment of dissent and the conditions in its prisons.

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The reported collapse also raises questions about prison conditions during extreme heat, access to medical care and the handling of detainees with known health problems. The family says Ghannouchi had been used to regular visits from lawyers and relatives, making the current lack of contact especially concerning. The absence of official information has left his condition unclear, and the conflicting reports circulating online have not been confirmed.

What happens next will depend on whether authorities provide a formal update on his location and medical status, and whether his lawyers are allowed access. It is also unclear whether the public prosecutor or prison authorities will respond to the family's requests. For now, the case remains unresolved, with the family still seeking confirmation of where he is being treated and whether his health has deteriorated further.

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