Abir Moussi, a vocal critic of Tunisian President Kais Saied, has initiated a hunger strike while in prison, citing constraints on her freedom of expression and political engagement, as reported by Reuters.
Moussi, detained by authorities outside the presidential palace on charges of inciting disturbance, is a key figure in the opposition political landscape. Subsequently, a judge ordered her imprisonment in October 2023.
Leading the Free Constitutional Party (PDL), Moussi and her party have expressed concerns about purported legal impediments designed to hinder her participation in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections.
In a poignant move, Moussi’s legal team announced her decision to embark on a 16-day hunger strike to raise awareness about violence against women in Tunisia.
Amid the escalating crackdown on opposition figures, over 20 prominent politicians have been detained by the authorities, with some implicated in alleged plots against national security. President Saied has unequivocally labeled these individuals as “terrorists,” “traitors,” and “criminals.”
President Saied, a former law professor who secured victory in the 2019 presidential election, elicited controversy in 2021 when he attempted to govern by decree following the dissolution of the elected parliament—a move criticized by his opponents as a “coup.”
