Anas Saadaoui

Summary

Anas Saadaoui, an 18-year-old Tunisian from Mnihla in the governorate of Ariana, suffered from a heart condition and shortness of breath. He was arrested on 24 July 2026 and committed to Mornaguia civil prison on 10 August 2026, before dying there in suspicious circumstances on 24 August 2026. According to his family's account, his death coincided with repeated health crises, limited access to medical care, and the prison administration's refusal, on the morning of the day he died, to let his medication and medical supplies in, amid detention conditions marked by overcrowding and high temperatures.

Personal Information

Name: Anas Saadaoui.
Age: 18.
Governorate: Ariana.
Status: Citizen
Nature of the violation: Suspicious death in prison, with suspicions of failure to provide health care and of inadequate detention conditions.

Incidents of Violation

Anas Saadaoui, an 18-year-old from the Mnihla area of Ariana governorate, held a certificate of professional competence and had enrolled to continue his studies in tourism and hotel management at the Sectoral Training Centre for Hotel Techniques in Tabarka. According to information provided by his family, Anas suffered from a heart condition and shortness of breath.

On 24 July 2026, Anas Saadaoui was arrested in connection with a criminal case, and after the preliminary investigation was completed he was placed in the Bouchoucha detention centre. While the investigation was under way, the family stated that they submitted medical files and reports to the competent judicial services, requesting that Anas be kept at liberty in view of his health condition and his heart disease and shortness of breath.

On 10 August 2026, Anas Saadaoui was committed to Mornaguia civil prison pending the scheduling of a court hearing. During their visits, the family stated that Anas complained about high temperatures inside the prison and overcrowding, and told them that he was sleeping on a bed in rotation with six other prisoners. The family also stated that during his time in prison Anas suffered three health crises, and that he was able to see a doctor on only one occasion.

On the morning of Monday 24 August 2026, Anas Saadaoui's family went to Mornaguia prison to bring in his medication and medical supplies, but the family stated that the prison administration refused to allow them in and asked them to come back on the designated visiting day. On the evening of the same day, 24 August 2026, Anas Saadaoui died in prison.

Following his death, the Public Prosecution opened an investigation to establish the causes and circumstances of the death. As of the date this documentation was prepared, the investigation had not, according to the information available to the family, produced any notable result.

Human Rights Violations

The available information regarding the death of Anas Saadaoui in detention, given his health condition, which the family stated was known to the judicial and prison authorities, and the family's reports of his repeated health crises and limited access to medical care, raises serious suspicions of a breach of the state's obligations to protect the lives of persons deprived of their liberty and to ensure that they receive appropriate health care. Article 24 of the 2022 Constitution of the Tunisian Republic enshrines the right to life, Article 36 provides for every prisoner's right to humane treatment that preserves their dignity, and Article 43 enshrines the right to health and obliges the state to guarantee prevention and health care and to provide the resources necessary to ensure the safety and quality of health services.

These obligations are reinforced in the case of persons deprived of their liberty: Article 1 of Law No. 52 of 2001 on the prison system provides that conditions of residence in prison must guarantee the physical and moral integrity of the prisoner, and that the prisoner shall enjoy health and psychological care, while Article 17 guarantees free treatment and medication inside the prison, or in hospitals when treatment inside the prison is not possible, on the advice of the prison doctor. This requires ensuring that the prisoner receives the necessary medical care appropriate to his health condition, and that appropriate measures are taken when symptoms recur or when treatment cannot be provided inside the prison establishment.

These obligations are consistent with Rule 24 of the Nelson Mandela Rules, which considers the provision of health care for prisoners a state responsibility and requires that prisoners enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the community, while ensuring continuity of treatment and care. Rule 25 also stresses the need to pay particular attention to prisoners with special health-care needs, while Rule 27 requires prompt access to medical attention in urgent cases, including the transfer of the prisoner to specialised medical institutions when necessary.

The conditions of accommodation reported by the family, in particular high temperatures, severe overcrowding and Anas sharing a single bed in rotation with six other prisoners, also raise concerns about whether the conditions of detention were compatible with the obligation to provide a detention environment conducive to health and human dignity. The Nelson Mandela Rules stress that accommodation, in particular sleeping accommodation, must meet all requirements of health, with due regard to climatic conditions, floor space and ventilation, and require that each prisoner be provided with a separate bed. These standards require that conditions of detention, including ventilation, temperature and sleeping space, be consistent with the requirements of protecting the health and dignity of persons deprived of their liberty.

The Mornaguia prison administration's refusal, according to the family's account, to allow Anas's medication and medical supplies in on the morning of the day he died, given his known health condition, raises serious questions about whether his right to treatment and medication and to continuity of the necessary health care was respected. Standards on health care in prisons require the state to ensure continuity of treatment and that detention not lead to interruption of necessary medication or care, particularly when the health condition of the detained person is known and requires regular follow-up or treatment.

Anas's death is of particular importance from the perspective of the state's duty to protect the lives of persons in its custody. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects the right to life and, in the context of detention, imposes heightened obligations on the state to protect the lives of persons under its effective control. The circumstances of the death do not, in themselves, establish the state's responsibility for it; however, the repeated health crises, limited access to medical care, the reported detention conditions and the refusal to allow medication and medical supplies in, according to the family's account, require independent and effective verification of whether the authorities took all reasonable and necessary measures to protect Anas's life and preserve his physical integrity.

International standards also require a prompt, effective, independent and impartial investigation into deaths in custody, particularly when there are indications concerning health care, conditions of detention or treatment preceding the death. The Nelson Mandela Rules stress the need to report every death in custody, without delay, to a competent independent authority, and to conduct a prompt, impartial and effective investigation into the circumstances of the death, while preserving relevant evidence, so as to determine the causes and circumstances of the death and any possible responsibilities.

Tunisian law imposes clear procedural obligations on the prison administration in cases of a prisoner's death: Article 43 of Law No. 52 of 2001 of 14 May 2001 on the prison system provides that, where a prisoner dies inside the prison, the competent judicial authorities, the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation and the members of the deceased's family must be informed of the death immediately, and requires a public health doctor to draw up a death certificate and deliver it to the family. These safeguards are of particular importance in cases of suspicious death, as they ensure that the family is informed and able to initiate the judicial and medical procedures necessary to uncover the circumstances of the death and determine its causes.

In view of the available information on Anas's health condition, his conditions of detention and the circumstances preceding his death, the opening of a judicial investigation into the death is a necessary step to establish its causes and circumstances, whether he was provided with the necessary medical care, and the circumstances surrounding the hours and days preceding the death. This investigation should be prompt, effective, independent and impartial, and should include, in particular, a review of the prisoner's medical file, treatment and medication records, his conditions of accommodation, the measures taken when he suffered health crises, and the reasons for refusing to allow medication and medical supplies in, as well as all relevant medical and judicial information, while preserving evidence, enabling the family to know the causes and circumstances of the death, and establishing legal responsibilities on the basis of the investigation's findings.