Tunisian prisoners are dying due to denial of medical care and cruel treatment — human rights defenders raise the alarm

Tunisian prisoners are dying due to denial of medical care and cruel treatment — human rights defenders raise the alarm

Tunisian prisons are facing a rise in “suspicious deaths,” along with growing reports of mistreatment, assaults, and other serious rights violations, according to a leading human rights group.

In a statement Tuesday, the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LTDH) cited testimonies indicating that some abuses may amount to torture. The group described the situation as a “profound deterioration” in conditions across the country’s prisons and juvenile correctional facilities.

LTDH said it has repeatedly submitted reports to the Ministry of Justice and the General Authority for Prisons and Reform, warning that authorities have failed to meet detainees’ basic health needs, putting their well-being at risk.

The group called for a “serious, independent, and impartial investigation” into all reported violations and urged that those responsible—including perpetrators, participants, and accomplices—be held accountable.

Just last month, three prison deaths were documented within a single week.

The first was 24-year-old Hazem Amara, a chronic diabetes patient who died just a few days after his arrest. According to a July 12 statement from Ultras El-Makshakhin 2002, a football fan group he belonged to, Amara was denied essential medical care despite repeated pleas from his mother to transfer him to Rabta Hospital.

Three days later, on July 15, the family of 25-year-old Wassim Ben Hafez Jaziri was informed of his death, one day after he appeared before an investigative judge. The Association for the Intersection of Rights and Freedoms, citing the family’s account, said Jaziri “appeared visibly ill” in court and had requested urgent medical attention.

The third case involves 22-year-old Mohamed Amin Jendoubi, who reportedly died in Borj El Amri prison following alleged torture. His mother said that El Amri’s family was only informed of his death on July 17—10 days later—when they showed up for a scheduled visit.

In February, Tunisia’s Prisons Authority rejected similar accusations of “deliberate medical neglect” raised by the opposition Ennahda Movement, amid concerns over the health of two imprisoned party leaders. Authority spokesperson Ramzi Al-Kouki dismissed the claims, saying detention conditions “meet approved international standards… in line with human rights principles.”