2 yıl önce

Wife of detained Tunisian politician joins his hunger strike

Saida Akremi, wife of former deputy chairman of the Ennahda party Noureddine Bhiri, has started a hunger strike to protest his continued detention.

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The largest party in the now suspended Tunisian parliament, the Ennahda party, said accusations against Bhiri are "politicised".

The wife of a senior Tunisian politician has announced that she will be joining her husband in his ongoing hunger strike.

Saida Akremi, whose husband Noureddine Bhiri is the deputy chairman of the Ennahda party, started her hunger strike on Thursday in protest of his continued detention.

Akremi also said that security personnel at the hospital where her husband has been transferred have refused to provide her with food.

"I started a hunger strike in protest of the continued imprisonment of my husband and for denying food for me," Akremi said.

Bhiri, 63, was transferred to Habib Bougatfa Hospital in the northern city of Bizerte after his health deteriorated due to his hunger strike.

Akremi said that she tried to convince her husband to end his hunger strike, but he refused.

On Wednesday, Bhiri’s doctor, Hatem Ghadoun, warned that his condition is serious in light of his hypertension and diabetes along with heart issues.

Accusation of terrorism

Bhiri, Tunisia's former justice minister, has refused food or medication since last week, prompting his transfer to hospital" two days later.

On Monday, Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine accused Bhiri of being involved in terrorism-related activities.

He was accused of allegedly issuing false identity documents to a Syrian couple while he was serving as justice minister.

One of the individuals was previously linked to terrorist cases committed outside Tunisian territory.

The Ennahda party, the largest party in the now suspended Tunisian parliament, said the accusations against Bhiri are "politicised" and called for his immediate release, holding President Kais Saied and Charfeddine responsible for his well-being.

Saied ousted the government on July 25 last year, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority.

While he insists that his "exceptional measures" are meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.

Ennahda had played a central role in Tunisian politics until a power grab by President Kais Saied last year.

SOURCE: AA