On 24 September 2024, Noussaiba Ben Ali went to Tunis–Carthage International Airport intending to travel back home and reunite with her family. However, Tunisian customs officers at the airport informed her that the travel ban issued against her was still in force and that she was not permitted to leave Tunisian territory. The victim reports that the travel ban was imposed due to her participation in the virtual plenary session of the former Parliament, nearly one year after the President of the Republic had frozen all parliamentary activities.

The incident dates back to the previous year. Upon her return to Tunisia on 9 September 2023, she discovered that she was subject to a travel ban. After inquiring with the General Directorate of Border and Foreigners Police at Tunis–Carthage International Airport about the reasons for the restriction, she learned that the ban had been ordered by an investigating judge on 16 June 2023. She subsequently filed an appeal before the Indictment Chamber to challenge the decision.

When she attempted to travel again on 24 September 2024, considering that the travel ban should have been lifted after 14 months and that she should be allowed to exercise her right to freedom of movement ,she was once again informed that she could not travel. In response,  Ben Ali began a three-day sit-in inside the airport to protest the delay she faced and the judiciary’s failure to respond to her request to lift the travel ban and to examine her case seriously.

The victim further recounts that when she stepped outside the main entrance of Tunis–Carthage International Airport to get some fresh air, she was subsequently prevented from re-entering the building. Security forces present at the scene barred her from returning inside and informed her that she was not allowed to re-enter the airport.