Tunisia: Fears grow for Rached Ghannouchi after reported collapse in prison

Tunisia: Fears grow for Rached Ghannouchi after reported collapse in prison Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 07/22/2026 - 15:00 Haifa Chebbi, the daughter of another jailed opposition leader, said she saw the former speaker of parliament lose consciousness due to the extreme heat in prison In this file photo, Rached Ghannouchi can be seen at his office in the Tunisian capital Tunis on 31 March 2022 (Fethi Belaid/AFP) Off Fresh concerns have emerged over the health of Tunisia 's jailed opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi after an eyewitness said she watched the 84-year-old politician lose consciousness inside prison. Haifa Chebbi, the daughter of imprisoned opposition politician and lawyer Ahmed Chebbi, said in Facebook video on Tuesday that she witnessed Ghannouchi faint whilst she was visiting her father at Mornaguia prison amid an intense summer heatwave that has swept across the country. Chebbi said that Ghannouchi later regained consciousness, but she described the incident as alarming, particularly given his age and declining health.