Jailed opposition leader Ghannouchi faints in Tunisian prison due to heat

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that Rached Ghannouchi, the 85-year-old leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda party and a former parliament speaker, briefly lost consciousness at Mornaguia prison during an intense heatwave. The account came from Haifa Chebbi, daughter of jailed opposition politician Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, who said in a Facebook live video after a Tuesday prison visit that she witnessed Ghannouchi fainting in oppressive heat.

According to Al Jazeera, Chebbi said the temperature inside the prison reached 52 degrees Celsius during her visit and described conditions as difficult to endure. She said detainees spend most of their time in cells of about 16 square metres and have only two hours outside each day. Chebbi did not blame prison staff, saying they were doing what they could and that older prisoners were receiving particular attention.

Ghannouchi has been imprisoned since 2023 and was taken to hospital on April 30 after a deterioration in his health, before returning to Mornaguia. Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, 81, helped create the National Salvation Front in 2022, a coalition opposed to President Kais Saied. He was among 37 opposition figures charged with conspiracy against state security in 2025 and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The case adds to concerns about Tunisia’s treatment of opposition figures under Saied. Al Jazeera cited UN human rights chief Volker Turk, who previously called the imprisonment of the 37 defendants a setback for justice and the rule of law and raised concerns about fair-trial violations. Chebbi also linked prison conditions to broader public hardship, including water and electricity shortages.