TUNIS / Anadolu

The defense team for Tunisian Ennahda Movement leader Rached Ghannouchi expressed on Thursday its deep concern over what it described as an alarming decline in his health condition, noting that he has been prevented from communicating with his lawyers and family members.

These developments come amid ongoing exchanges between the defense team and official authorities over detention conditions and healthcare for political detainees in Tunisia.

No immediate official statement was issued by Tunisian authorities commenting on the defense team's statements, while the Ministry of Justice has repeatedly stressed its full commitment to protecting inmates' rights and applying international standards.

The defense team said in a statement that it "received information from a number of lawyers indicating that Ghannouchi suffered a fainting spell and severe fatigue last Friday," considering his health condition "extremely worrying."

It added that the prison administration prevented his lawyers and family from checking on him despite the seriousness of his condition, describing this as a clear violation of laws and the most basic rights of detainees.

The defense team held Tunisian authorities "fully responsible" for Ghannouchi's physical safety and health condition, considering that the ban on visits adds to what it described as a "series of abuses" he is subjected to.

On Tuesday, lawyer Haifa El-Shabbi said that Ghannouchi, former speaker of the Tunisian parliament, fainted on Friday inside his cell at Mornaguia prison, west of the capital Tunis, due to the heatwave hitting the country.

This came in a video clip published by El-Shabbi on Facebook after she visited her father, National Salvation Front head Ahmed Nejib El-Shabbi (82), detained in the same prison.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International in a statement on Thursday called on Tunisian authorities to strengthen necessary measures to protect prisoners from the effects of the heatwave, especially the elderly, those with chronic diseases, or people with disabilities.

These developments coincide with a severe heatwave in Tunisia, prompting human rights organizations to demand additional protection for inmates, especially the elderly. The situation of prominent political figures detained in Tunisian prisons is of wide local and international interest. The extent of the authorities' response to the defense team's demands and allowing visits remains the focus of future monitoring. These events underscore the ongoing political and legal tension surrounding the cases of detainees.