Beirut: The daughter of jailed Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi said Monday her family 'has had no contact' with the former parliament speaker for nearly a week.
According to Anadolu Agency, Soumaya Ghannouchi revealed in a video on US social media platform X that lawyers attempted to visit her father at Mornaguia Prison, north of Tunis, over the past week. However, they were informed by prison authorities that Ghannouchi had been transferred to a hospital.
Soumaya stated that her mother and defense lawyers went to the hospital to see him but were denied access. She expressed concern over the lack of information about her father's health condition, mentioning that the family learned from lawyers that Ghannouchi had fainted during a prison visit due to extreme heat and exhaustion.
She highlighted that temperatures at Mornaguia Prison exceeded 50C (122F) and stressed that her 85-year-old father, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and thyroid problems, was being held in a ward without air conditioning and requires special medical care. Soumaya questioned the whereabouts and condition of her father, demanding that the family and lawyers be granted access to his medical file.
Criticism was directed at Tunisian President Kais Saied and relevant authorities, with Soumaya stating that they would be responsible for any harm that may occur to Ghannouchi. As of 1045GMT, there was no comment from Tunisian authorities on the statement.
The issue of Ghannouchi's health has gained renewed attention in Tunisia recently. Last Thursday, the Ennahda Movement expressed concern over what it described as a 'serious deterioration' in Ghannouchi's health after he experienced fainting and severe exhaustion in prison a week earlier.
Ghannouchi, 84, has been detained since April 2023 and is currently serving multiple prison sentences in separate cases. Tunisian authorities assert that Ghannouchi and other defendants are being prosecuted on criminal charges related to state security, denying any political interference in judicial proceedings. Critics and opposition figures, however, argue that the cases are part of a broader campaign targeting opponents of the Tunisian president.