Tunisia Rebuts Muslim Brotherhood Narrative Over Prison Conditions and Ghannouchi’s Health
The Muslim Brotherhood movement, described in the text as a terrorist organization, continues to exploit rumors and attempt to stir confusion in Tunisia by promoting claims about the conditions faced by its leaders in prison, while authorities insist that legal procedures are being respected in the treatment of all detainees.
The General Administration of Prisons and Rehabilitation, a government body, denied reports that the health conditions of some prisoners had deteriorated because of the severe heatwave currently affecting the country.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, the administration said that “following the exceptional weather conditions marked by rising temperatures, all necessary measures have been taken inside prisons with regard to accommodation conditions and healthcare.”
The administration also rejected “claims concerning the deterioration of the health of certain prisoners and the deprivation of their relatives and lawyers of the right to visit them,” stressing that “all detainees receive healthcare in accordance with the regulations in force, provided by the medical and paramedical staff of prison facilities. When necessary, they are transferred to emergency departments at public hospitals to receive the required care. Visits are also conducted in accordance with legal procedures and the regulations currently in force.”
Earlier on Monday, the defense team representing Rached Ghannouchi, the Tunisian leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, called for the immediate disclosure of his health condition and demanded that his lawyers and family members be allowed to visit him without delay.
The Ennahda Movement also expressed its “concern” in a statement over what it described as “information indicating a severe and dangerous deterioration in Ghannouchi’s health.”
Tunisia is currently experiencing a wave of rumors reportedly promoted by the movement, focusing on the health conditions of prisoners, the health of President Kais Saied, internal security, and essential crises involving water and electricity supplies. Some social media pages have reportedly exploited these issues to stir confusion.
Observers believe that networks linked to the Muslim Brotherhood are operating on social media to spread false information in the hope of finding an opening that would allow them to return to the political spotlight after facing political and popular rejection.
These rumors come amid parliamentary efforts in Tunisia to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist” organization, in what could represent a further step in a case marked by numerous allegations and controversies.
In mid-July, Tunisian lawmakers submitted a bill that, if adopted, would designate the Ennahda Movement, the political branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, as a “terrorist” organization.
Ghannouchi has faced several judicial convictions. The most recent, handed down in mid-July, sentenced him to three years in prison in a case involving foreign financing. His harshest sentence came last June, when he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case concerning the movement’s secret apparatus.
