News release
Tunisian lawyer and human rights advocate Abir Moussi has announced her boycott of healthcare services provided by the prison administration where she is being held, protesting the harassment and violation of her basic right to health.
This announcement came in a statement Moussi posted on her official Facebook page on Monday, September 9th. In the post, she stated that “since the start of the electoral period, the authorities have taken a new approach in dealing with me. They have moved beyond mere negligence and excuses for not providing the necessary medical equipment to intentionally obstruct my treatment and exhaust my health, sparing no effort to do so.”
– Confiscation of medical equipment:
In her statement, the Tunisian human rights advocate noted that authorities had confiscated logistical equipment that had been provided in her cell after great difficulty and repeated requests, as well as medical recommendations intended to allow her to sit, write, and eat in a position that suits her health condition. She added that “due to the removal of this equipment, I was forced to return to lying down while eating and writing, which has exacerbated the pain and suffering, and has prevented me from sitting up.”
Moussi also mentioned that all food storage equipment in her cell had been removed, forcing her to forgo accepting the weekly food supplies she relied on. As a result, she has entered a phase of malnutrition, especially since basic food items are not regularly available at the prison’s supply center.
Additionally, she noted that the chair in the lawyer visitation office was replaced with a low chair fixed to the ground, making it impossible for her to sit comfortably, particularly since it cannot be adjusted to fit the desk where case files are placed. Authorities also refused to provide her with a chair suited to her condition, forcing her to stand for hours or borrow her lawyer’s bag to sit with great difficulty, aggravating the pain that has now spread from the left side of her body to both sides, as described in her statement.
– Rejection of medical committee recommendations:
Moussi emphasized in her statement that “the prison administration did not respond to any of the recommendations made by the medical committee that examined her on August 23rd and did not provide any equipment or supportive conditions as requested. Instead, they continued to harass her and obstruct the implementation of the required health protocol.”
She further stated that based on all of this, her defense team would submit a notification to the Chief Investigating Judge overseeing the so-called “Office Case,” for which she remains detained despite the expiration of her detention warrant on April 1st, 2024, without any legal extension. Formal notifications will also be sent to the medical committee responsible for her health file, the Public Prosecutor at the Tunis Court of Appeal, the public prosecutor’s office in Manouba, and the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation, which supervises the detention center. These notifications will demand that each authority, within their jurisdiction, enforce the medical recommendations and stop the ongoing physical and psychological torture she is enduring. They will also request copies of all reports, correspondence, medical prescriptions, and documents related to her medical file.
– boycott and calls to alleviate detention hardships:
Moussi concluded her statement by declaring that “until then, I announce my boycott of healthcare services and medical appointments, which have become ineffective in alleviating the pain and suffering I have endured throughout my unlawful detention.” She holds all responsible parties legally accountable for making decisions that could ease her deep suffering.
For its part, the “Committee for Justice” (CFJ) reaffirms its full solidarity with Moussi and similarly holds the Tunisian authorities responsible for the deterioration of her health condition amidst the obstinacy she faces regarding her medical file.
CFJ calls for the provision of all necessary equipment, supplies, and medications to prevent her health from worsening and to implement the recommendations made by the medical committee that examined her. CFJ also stresses the demand for her immediate and unconditional release after the expiration of her detention warrant.
