Jailed Tunisian opposition leader Jawhar Ben Mbarek assaulted in prison, family says

Supporters of jailed Tunisian opposition leader Jawhar Ben Mbarek are accusing prison authorities of brutally assaulting him in an effort to force an end his two-week-long hunger strike.

Ben Mbarek’s lawyer on Wednesday said he saw evidence that he had been tortured and attacked, including fractures and bruises all over his body. He’s reportedly maintaining his hunger strike despite the assault.

Ben Mbarek has been jailed since 2023 and is serving an 18-year sentence for conspiring to overthrow President Kais Saied, charges he says were fabricated.

His protest is part of a broader wave of hunger strikes by at least five jailed opposition leaders.

The detainees are demanding their release, saying the charges against them are politically motivated.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Saied's government of using the judiciary to silence dissent. It’s part of what critics say is a slide back into authoritarian rule. Saied denies the accusations and says that the judiciary is independent.

Saied seized most powers in 2021 and later began ruling by decree, in what the opposition has described as a coup.

Ben Mbarek's father, who has said he holds Saied responsible for any harm that comes to his son, said he had reported his treatment to the prison director who has promised to investigate.