The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has reported the announcement by journalist, human rights activist, political figure, and former head of the Truth and Dignity Commission, Seham Ben Sedrine, regarding her hunger strike from within her detention.
On January 14, Ben Sedrine confirmed she had commenced a hunger strike in protest of the violations she is enduring in custody and the ongoing judicial pressures exerted on her without respite.
The first investigative judge at the Economic and Financial Judicial Pole in Tunisia had, on August 1, 2024, issued a detention order against Ben Sedrine in connection with an investigation initiated following a complaint by a member of the Truth and Dignity Commission. The case revolves around alleged falsification of the commission’s final report, wherein discrepancies were found between the final version published in the official gazette and the one submitted to former Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi.
It is noteworthy that Ben Sedrine has faced legal harassment for years, marked by a series of arbitrary decisions, including a travel ban, notification of being under security surveillance, and eventually the issuance of a detention order leading to her imprisonment in the Women’s Prison in Manouba.
CFJ reaffirms its solidarity with Ben Sedrine in her hunger strike, holds the Tunisian authorities responsible for her safety, and calls for an end to the arbitrary measures against her, her immediate release, and an end to her targeting.
