Tunisia: Mehdi Ben Gharbia transferred to Farhat Hached hospital

Mehdi Ben Gharbia’s Defense Committee disclosed in a press release this evening Friday, December 24, 2021, that their client was transferred from his Messadine prison cell to Farhat Hached hospital this morning. It was decided to maintain him under medical supervision in the cardiology department due to the decline of his state of health resulting from the hunger strike, which he started on November 5, 2021, in objection to the rejection of the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation to permit him to meet without barriers, his son during a periodic visit, in accordance with what has been stipulated by the judiciary.

“Members of the National Authority for the Prevention of Torture-INPT were stopped from visiting and meeting him at the hospital, despite waiting more than three hours, knowing that they had come on an inspection mission at 3:00 p.m. ”.

The defence committee viewed the incident as “a further abuse of their client and his rights in flagrant breach of the law.” Correspondingly, the committee reiterated their alert on the critical state of health of their client, Mehdi Ben Gharbia, criticising his denial of visits by representatives of the INPT. They likewise condemned the continuation of smear and stigmatization campaigns against their client and the judicial bodies dealing with the case, stating these bodies are victims of incitement after the decision to seal the search is issued.

The defence team of Mr Ben Gharbia reported that it had filed a complaint on this matter with the Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of First Instance of Sousse, and the launch of the research, since yesterday, to this effect.