Al Joumhouri party Secretary General Issam Chebbi and other detainess in the "conspiracy against state security" case, have also decided to start a hunger strike as of Monday, in solidarity with Jawhar ben Mbarek who has been on hunger strike since last week, the party said. In a statement on Monday, Al Joumhouri held the authorities fully responsible before the law for the detainees' health and safety, denouncing "the use of the judiciary as a tool to restrict freedoms and persecute the opposition." The party further called for the immediate release of the the politicians arrested in the so-called "conspiracy against state security" case, affirming the readiness of those it describes as "supporters of freedom" to wage any form of struggle to support the detainees and secure their release. The arrests made last February in the so-called "conspiracy against state security" case included politicians, businessmen and State officials, notably Ennahdha President Rached Ghannouchi, National Salvation Front leaders Ridha Belhaj and Jawhar ben Mbarek, Al Joumhouri Secretary General Issam Chebbi, former Democratic Movement Secretary General Ghazi Chaouachi, former Ennahdha leader Abdelhamid Jelassi, politician and lawyer Lazhar Akermi and politician Khayem Turki and businessman Kamel Letaief.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse