Tunisia Dispute Over’ Repressive’ Transfer of Political Prisoners
A number of jailed Tunisian opposition individuals have been moved without notice to prisons located far from their families as part of a plan their lawyers and family members have condemned for being “repressive.”
At least seven politicians were removed to Mornaguia prison in Tunis to remote prisons the lawyer Dalila Msaddek said to AFP.
A famous public figure Issam Chebbi was taken to a psychiatric facility in Bizerte, Tunisia’s northernmost city. Meanwhile, Ridha BelHajj was transferred to Siliana, located about two hours south of Tunis.
Msaddek said “They were transferred without any notice to their families or lawyers,”.
She described the transfer as “a form of harassment” designed to make it more difficult for families from Tunisia and lawyers to come to.
Families are allowed to bring food baskets to prisoners every week in Tunisia. They providing them with enough supplies to last the whole week.
Msaddek stated that some prisoners protested against the transfer, but were forced to be transferred.
In a prisoner’s letter published via social networks, BelHajj protested against what described as an unjustified removal “far from my family, my children, and my lawyers, in yet another attempt to break my will.”
He said that he, Chebbi, and Ghazi Chaouachi were prisoners of conscience, not criminals.
“What is happening today is a desperate attempt to silence free voices and intimidate anyone who dares to say ‘no’ to injustice and tyranny,” the author wrote.
Since the president Kais Saied’s re-election during the month of July in 2021 after he dissolving the parliament and took over through decree, rights organizations have warned of a drastic reduction in civil liberties in this North African country.
In a video Chebbi’s spouse criticized the move of the authorities in the video as “an injustice” and “abuse.”
She told her that she was informed of the transfer while on her weekly appointment, and her husband was informed about the transfer just an hour before the move.
It was it was a French military bunker, built by 1932. Bizerte prison — Borj Erroumi — became famous for its harsh conditions under Tunisia’s longtime rulers Habib as well as Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
All of the prisoners transferred were defendants in the mass trial in the last month which was attended by around 40 public individuals, including some hard-core Saied opponents, sentenced to lengthy terms for charges such as plotting against the government.
The trial sparked widespread international criticism, including from France, Germany, and the United Nations. However, President Saied rejected the criticism, calling it blatant interference in Tunisia’s internal affairs.
During a protest in Tunis demanding the release of lawyer Ahmed Souab, public figures also opposed the practice of transferring prisoners between facilities.
Souab, a member of the defense team in the mass trial, was arrested on terrorism-related charges. His arrest followed claims that judges were pressured to impose harsh sentences on the defendants.
“We’re witnessing a return to the repressive tactics of the Ben Ali regime, where prisoner transfers were used to break the spirit of political detainees,” opposition leader Chaima Issa told AFP at the protest.
Meanwhile, the wife of political figure Chebbi reported that he is being held in “inhumane” conditions. After visiting him, she said he is detained in an overcrowded prison cell with 60 other inmates and denied even the most basic detention standards.
