Tunisian Opposition Leader Abir Moussi Begins Hunger Strike in Prison

Lawyers for Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party and a prominent opponent of Tunisian President Kais Saied, announced that she has begun a hunger strike in prison today, Tuesday, in protest against "the violation of her rights to freedom, political activity, and intellectual affiliation." Last month, a judge ordered Moussi's imprisonment after she was arrested at the entrance of the presidential palace on suspicion of "an intended assault aimed at altering the state's structure and inciting chaos," as part of a campaign initiated by authorities this year against opposing politicians. Moussi's party previously warned of "attempts to fabricate legal obstacles to prevent her from participating in the expected presidential elections next year." Moussi's lawyers stated in a statement today that her hunger strike will last for 16 days, coinciding with the international campaign against violence against women in Tunisia. They added that Moussi will issue urgent communications to all regional and international institutions that have agreements with the Tunisian state to reveal the violations she is facing and denounce the regression in women's rights currently occurring in Tunisia. The Tunisian police have arrested more than 20 prominent political figures, some of whom have been accused of conspiring against state security. Saied described the detainees as "terrorists, traitors, and criminals." In recent months, the Free Constitutional Party has organized protests against Saied. Moussi accuses the President of governing outside the law. She is a supporter of the late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted by mass protests in 2011, a uprising that later spread throughout the Middle East and became known as the "Arab Spring."