English Below
ملخص:
المصادر:
تم توثيق حالة ضحية الانتهاك، منذر الونيسي، بعد التواصل مع المحامية فريدة العبيدي بتاريخ 16 سبتمبر 2025، والتواصل مع زوجته رحمة العبيدي عبر مكالمة هاتفية بتاريخ 15 سبتمبر 2025. كما تم الاطلاع على البيان الرسمي لحركة النهضة الصادر في 09 سبتمبر 2025، ومعاينة تدوينات المحامي فوزي جاب لله المتعلقة بوضع ضحية الانتهاك داخل السجن والانتهاكات الواقعة في حقه، بالإضافة إلى الاطلاع على عدد من المقالات الصحفية التي توثق وضعية الضحية داخل السجن.
Summary:
Mondher Ounissi, doctor, university professor, and Vice President of the Ennahda movement since 2021, has been held in the Mornaguia Civil Prison since September 2023 in connection with numerous legal cases.
During his detention, he has faced serious physical and verbal abuse, despite having chronic illnesses, in a blatant violation of prisoners’ rights and international standards for humane treatment.
Personal Information:
Name: Mondher Ounissi
Age: 58
Occupation: Doctor, university professor, and Vice President of the Ennahda movement since 2021.
Violation Incidents:
Mondher Ounissi, a Tunisian politician and doctor, has been the Vice President of the Ennahda movement since 2021.
Mondher Ounissi was arrested in September 2023, when the public prosecution of the Court of First Instance in Tunis allowed, on Wednesday, 6 September 2023, to be taken into custody, with a later decision to refer him to the Judicial Pole for Counter-Terrorism.
His lawyer mentioned that this is related to his first case, known as “the audio leaks”; he was also charged in connection with the death of “Jilani Dabousssi”, a former member of parliament.
Another detention order was issued against him, as the indictment chamber at the Tunis Court of Appeal decided to refer the case to the Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Tunis, which, in turn, issued an order to put him in prison and charge him with murder.
Although Ounissi is imprisoned, he still retains the right to proper treatment and respect for his human dignity, and protection against its violation. However, on September 9, 2025, his wife reported that he was subjected to grave physical assault inside prison by the officer working at the prison infirmary who punched and kicked him, because he objected to being forced to board the prisoners’ vehicle, long criticized for its cramped and degrading conditions and seen by political detainees as a tool of mistreatment.
The wife of the victim of the violation also stated that he was physically assaulted across his body, including blows to his stomach, despite suffering from a chronic kidney disease. This assault was accompanied by verbal abuse that insulted both his dignity and that of his mother. He was eventually inspected by the prison doctor, and apparent bruises were observed; however, a medical certificate confirmed that these injuries were denied. At the same time, the Ennahda movement issued a statement that the General Inspectorate of Prisons visited the victim that same day, stating that the visit was an attempt to minimize the seriousness of the incident and present it as an isolated case.
In addition to the incident and the violations Mondher Ounissi was subjected to, he’s also been enduring neglect regarding his health in prison. In fact, his lawyer revealed this information after visiting him in May 2025. He also stated that his condition requires kidney monitoring every 15 days, yet he has gone over a month without tests.
He also noted that Mondher Ounissi, being a doctor specializing in kidney diseases, is fully aware of his critical condition. The lawyer also relayed the victims of violation’s statement that he does not want to leave prison with damaged kidneys, questioning the medical neglect that political detainees face.
Human Rights Violations:
The case of Dr. Mondher Ounissi reveals a series of serious human rights violations affecting him from the moment of his arrest to his detention in prison. This began when the investigating judge at the Judicial Pole for Counter-Terrorism issued a detention order without interrogating him, in a grave violation of his right to defense and the guarantees of a fair trial stated in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides that all people are equal before the law and that anyone accused of a criminal offense is presumed innocent until proven guilty according to the law.
Furthermore, while the victim of the violation was in prison, the prison administration neglected his health. He suffered systematic medical neglect, despite the fact that his condition requires careful monitoring, including measuring kidney creatinine levels every 15 days, yet he went more than a month without any tests. Although the prison doctor noted apparent bruises on his body, he was denied a medical certificate documenting the injuries.
These practices constitute a violation of Article 43 of the 2022 Tunisian Constitution, which states that “health is a right for every person,” and conflict with Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which enshrines the right to the highest attainable standard of health, as well as Article 16 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the right of every person to enjoy the best possible health and emphasizes the state’s responsibility to take the necessary measures to ensure citizens’ health. They also contradict Rule 24 of the Nelson Mandela Rules, which stipulates that prisoners’ access to healthcare should be equivalent to that available in the community.
This situation highlights a clear failure to implement international standards and reveals systematic disregard for the legal and constitutional obligations that safeguard prisoners’ rights, emphasizing the need for the state and its institutions to protect the life and safety of all detainees, especially those with vulnerable health conditions.
The violations against Mondher Ounissi continued, as his assault inside the prison by an officer constitutes a direct violation of Article 25 of the Tunisian Constitution, which states: “The State protects the dignity of the human being and the sanctity of the body, and prohibits both physical and psychological torture.. the crime of torture does not lapse with time..,” It also violates Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which similarly forbids all forms of treatment that violate human dignity. These acts also flagrantly contravene the Nelson Mandela Rules, which emphasize that all prisoners must be treated with respect for their inherent human dignity.
The violations suffered by Dr. Mondher Ounissi were not limited to physical harm affecting sensitive parts of his body, including his diseased kidney, but also included verbal abuse and humiliating insults targeting his dignity and that of his mother. These practices constitute torture and ill-treatment, absolutely prohibited under national and international human rights law, including the standards set by the Convention Against Torture and the Nelson Mandela Rules. And according to the Convention Against Torture, any act that causes severe physical or mental pain or suffering with the intent to punish, intimidate, or humiliate a victim, with the consent or acquiescence of public authorities, constitutes explicit torture.
Article 25 of the 2022 Tunisian Constitution, under the chapter on rights and freedoms, states: “The State protects the dignity of the human being and the sanctity of the body, and prohibits both physical and psychological torture. The crime of torture does not lapse with time.”
Additionally, Law No. 52 of 2001, dated 14 May 2001, concerning the prison system, emphasizes the importance of prisoners’ rights in Tunisia, the respect for their physical and moral integrity, the preservation of human dignity, and the guarantee of health, psychological, and social care that ensures necessary treatment and support for their reintegration into society.