Habib Ellouze, former deputy in the constitutional Assembly and leader in the Ennahda movement, has been imprisoned since March 2023, on the grounds of a number of cases, notably the well-known media case “Conspiracy Case 2”, where he was initially sentenced to 12 years behind bars.

During his incarceration in the Civil Prison of Mornaguia, Habib Ellouze has been suffering from a health crisis, as his condition requires extreme care and treatment. In fact, he has spent the majority of his detention in the hospital since he suffered from recurrent strokes, as well as the deterioration of his health is due to poor medical care inside the prison facility, which constitutes a form of systematic neglect.

In his testimony, his son Zied Ellouze insists that his father’s health condition requires special treatment for his eyes, which demands contact lenses accompanied by eyeglasses to be able to see properly. He also added that he is in need of an eye cleaner that is not available in prison, and that they faced administrative complications regarding some necessary documents in order to bring in the medication, which led to a permanent swelling in his eye that could lead to permanent blindness.

In addition to the prison administration’s refusal to provide the medication for his eyes, Habib Ellouze suffers from several health problems, since he is in his 80s and has high blood pressure as well as diabetes.

A member of his defense team stated that it was confirmed that during one of the hearings, Habib Ellouze attended in a wheelchair, and that he still suffers the aftereffects of a stroke, is unable to hear or see properly, and cannot distinguish clearly. This led her to withdraw from representing him due to the lack of fair trial conditions, as the judge did not take into account his health condition, which prevents him from defending himself or following the proceedings