Tunisian opposition figure Johar Ben Mubarak suspends his hunger strike news

The leader of the opposition National Salvation Front in Tunisia, Jawhar Ben Mubarak, announced the suspension of his hunger strike in Belli prison in the state of Nabeul, northeast of the country, 33 days after it began.

Ben Mubarak said, in a statement published by his sister, lawyer Dalila Mosaddeq, that, “After 33 days of hunger strike, I announce to public opinion that I have decided to temporarily suspend the strike, after the living democratic street demonstrated its ability to carry the message, defend our voices and rights, and transfer the suffering of political detainees and the nation’s wounds to the national and international arena.”

He added, “We chose the path of struggle out of conviction, and we realize that the cost of resistance is high, which we pay with our health and bodies, but we believe that defending the homeland and its freedom is a duty that cannot be abandoned.”

This comes after massive demonstrations took place recently in Tunisia to demand the release of political prisoners, the restoration of freedoms, and a return to democracy.

On October 29, Ben Mubarak went on an open hunger strike to protest his arrest in the case of “conspiring against state security,” where he was initially sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Last Friday, the Tunis Court of Appeal issued prison sentences between 10 and 45 years against the defendants arrested in this case, and increased the sentence for Ben Mubarak from 18 years to 20 years.