Tunis, February 17, 2025 – Lawyers Nafi Laribi and Naoufel Bouden, members of the defense team of the leader of the Free Constitutional Party, Abir Moussi, confirmed that she was transferred yesterday, Sunday, from Manouba Prison to Taher Maamouri University Hospital in Nabeul, after her health condition deteriorated due to the hunger strike she has been on for six days. The two lawyers reported that her transfer took place under tight security and amid an official blackout regarding her health condition.
Hunger strike in protest against humiliating treatment
Abir Moussi has been on a brutal hunger strike since Wednesday, January 12, 2025, in protest against the humiliating treatment she was subjected to inside the detention prison in Manouba, according to statements by her defense team during a press conference held on the same date.
The defense team stated that Abir Moussi was arbitrarily referred to the disciplinary board in Manouba prison, in a clear violation of disciplinary procedures and the right to defense, without having committed any violation that warranted this referral.
Moussi expressed her rejection of these charges, stressing that she faces a direct threat to her life and physical safety. The defense team added that her detention conditions are inhumane, as she lives in an environment that lacks the minimum requirements for safety and health, which she described as “a harsh experience inside prison”.
A sudden transfer raising questions
Abir Moussi was transferred on the afternoon of Sunday, February 16, 2025, using a prison service vehicle, amid heavy security guards, to a hospital in the governorate of Nabeul, while the Greater Tunis area has hospitals that are equipped to receive critical cases, which raises doubts about the authorities’ intention to continue to restrict her, despite her deteriorating health condition.
Clear violation of the prisoner’s right to report his health condition
According to Article 76 of Order No. 1876 of 1988 dated November 4, 1988, the prison administration must inform the prisoner’s family or the person he designates upon his admission to prison, as well as in the event of any health emergency. The aforementioned article stipulates that:
“The prison administration must inform the prisoner’s family as soon as he is admitted, according to the prison’s capabilities. Each prisoner must also provide, upon admission to prison, the name and address of the person who can be contacted in the event of any emergency.”
Accordingly, the failure to inform Abir Moussi’s family or her defense team of her transfer to the hospital constitutes a clear violation of this legal text, and a flagrant violation of prisoners’ rights that guarantee them contact with their families in such critical circumstances.
Defense team’s comment and fears of blackout
Moussi’s defense team confirmed that her transfer took place under an official blackout, as no official statements were issued regarding her health condition, and her family or lawyers were not allowed to see the details of her condition inside the hospital.
In this context, lawyer Nafi Laribi called on the party’s supporters to continue sending messages to Abir Moussi to convince her to stop the strike, to preserve her safety.
Human rights concerns and calls for urgent intervention
The Freedom for Tunisia Observatory for expresses its deep concern about Abir Moussi’s health condition and the way the authorities are dealing with her case, considering that her continued detention without a fair trial, in addition to the blackout on her health condition, reflect a deterioration in respect for human rights standards.
The Observatory calls for:
Enabling the defense team and Moussi’s family to have the right to be informed about her health condition and communicate with her, in accordance with what is guaranteed by law.
Disclose the real reasons behind her transfer to Nabeul Hospital instead of Greater Tunis hospitals.
Ensuring the rights of political detainees to humane detention conditions in accordance with national laws and international standards.
Requiring the judicial and security authorities to immediately report any deterioration in the health of any prisoner and notify his family and lawyer of this, in respect of Tunisian law and the country’s human rights obligations.
The Freedom Observatory for Tunisia stresses that the authorities’ failure to respect their legal obligations to inform Abir Moussi’s family and her defense team of the deterioration of her health increases concerns about the targeting of political opponents.
