The incident was witnessed by the daughter of Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, another prominent political prisoner.
Posted on July 23, 2026
An intense heat wave has worsened the already harsh conditions faced by inmates at Tunisia's Mornaguia prison and recently caused jailed opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi to temporarily lose consciousness, according to the daughter of another prominent political prisoner who says she witnessed the incident.
Haifa Chebbi, daughter of jailed opposition politician Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, 81, said in an emotional live video posted on Facebook after a visit to the prison on Tuesday that she saw Ghannouchi, 85, faint in the sweltering heat and could barely “breathe or even walk on my own two feet” when she emerged.
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He said the temperature inside Mornaguia prison reached 52 degrees Celsius (126 degrees Fahrenheit) during his visit. Detainees spend most of their time confined to cells no larger than 16 square meters (172 square feet), he added, and are only allowed two hours a day outdoors.
In 2022, his father helped establish the National Salvation Front (FSN), a broad coalition of secular, liberal and Islamist groups opposing the increasingly authoritarian government of President Kais Saied. He was among 37 opposition figures charged with “conspiracy against state security” in 2025 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk described the imprisonment of the 37 defendants as “a setback for justice and the rule of law.”
“The process was marred by violations of the right to a fair trial and due process, raising serious concerns about political motivations,” Turk said in a statement in 2025.
Ghannouchi, former speaker of parliament and leader of the Ennahda political movement, has been imprisoned since 2023. He was rushed to hospital on April 30 after a sharp deterioration in his health, but is now back in Mornaguia prison.
In his video, Haifa was careful not to blame prison staff for prison conditions, saying they were doing everything they could and that elderly prisoners in particular were receiving special care.
He said the incident he witnessed highlighted the toll prison conditions are taking on elderly inmates, several of whom are spending their fourth summer behind bars.
He mentioned several other imprisoned opposition figures, including lawyers Abir Moussi and Ayachi Hammami, prominent radio journalist Ziad El Hani and activist Chaima Issa.
Linking the arrests to broader unrest over water and electricity shortages, Haifa said the crisis extends beyond prison walls. He called on Tunisians to take action to bring about meaningful political change, saying: “We are responsible for everything that will happen, whether negative or positive.”
