Ayachi Hammami ends hunger strike but remains in detention
On 15 January 2026, human rights defender and lawyer Ayachi Hammami announced the end of his 43-day hunger strike, but his detention at El Mornaguia prison and arbitrary restrictions imposed on visits from his lawyer, remain in place.
Front Line Defenders is gravely concerned by the imminent threat posed to the life of human rights defender and lawyer, Ayachi Hammami. On 9 January 2026, the defender had entered the thirty-eighth day of an open-ended hunger strike, in protest against his ongoing detention at El Mornaguia prison and arbitrary restrictions imposed on visits from his lawyer.
On 2 December 2025, the authorities in Tunisia arrested human rights defender and lawyer Ayachi Hammami, an emblematic figure of the Tunisian human rights movement, at his home in Tunis to enforce a five-year prison sentence based on false accusations in the high profile ‘conspiracy case.’
Ayachi Hammami is a prominent Tunisian human rights lawyer and defender. For decades, he has been representing victims of human rights violations and leading national efforts for democracy, judicial independence, and fundamental freedoms. He has actively participated in the leadership of multiple human rights organisations in Tunisia and across the region.
On 15 January 2026, human rights defender and lawyer Ayachi Hammami announced the end of his 43-day hunger strike, but his detention at El Mornaguia prison and arbitrary restrictions imposed on visits from his lawyer, remain in place.
Ayachi Hammami is a prominent Tunisian human rights lawyer and defender. For decades, he has represented victims of human rights violations and lead national efforts to uphold democracy, judicial independence, and fundamental freedoms. The defender has actively participated in the leadership of multiple human rights organisations in Tunisia and across the region.
On 15 January 2026, in a statement posted on his Facebook account, the human rights defender announced his decision to end his 43-day hunger strike. He stated that he was now in recovery, having received medical care and good treatment from medical staff, paramedics, prison guards, and administrative staff, which he considered to be gained as a result of the Tunisian peoples’ efforts to secure rights during their 2010-2011 revolution. He reiterated his gratitude to his family, to the individuals and organisations supporting him inside and outside of Tunisia, and to those who signed the petition calling for him to end his hunger strike. Additionally, Ayachi Hammami expressed his support for the ‘National Coordination for the Release of Political Prisoners’, established on 14 January 2026, which he considers to be a focal point for defending prisoner rights in Tunisian jails.
In his statement, Ayachi Hammami announced his renewed intention to continue the struggle to secure democratic freedoms in Tunisia from prison. The human rights defender stated that he intends to launch a monthly hunger strike, beginning at the start of February 2026, in order to draw attention to the situation and rights of political prisoners.
On 6 January 2026, the defender’s family had relayed his determination to continue the hunger strike in protest against his detention and arbitrary restrictions imposed on visits from his lawyer. Ayachi Hammami remains in detention at El Mornaguia prison and faces the same arbitrary restrictions imposed on accessing his legal representation, which continue to remain in force without any legal justification.
On 2 December 2025, Ayachi Hammami was arrested by authorities at his home in Tunis to enforce a five-year prison sentence for ‘belonging to a terrorist organisation’ based on false accusations as part of a high profile case. Upon his arrest, he announced the beginning of his hunger strike in protest against the injustice of his detention and to express his ongoing struggle to secure freedoms and democracy in Tunisia.
Front Line Defenders welcomes the end of Ayachi Hammami’s hunger strike and his access to m edical care. However, the organisation reiterates its calls to immediately release the human rights defender and remove all arbitrary restrictions imposed on his access to legal representation.
Front Line Defenders is gravely concerned by the imminent threat posed to the life of human rights defender and lawyer, Ayachi Hammami. The defender has entered the thirty-eighth day of an open-ended hunger strike, in protest against his ongoing detention at El Mornaguia prison and arbitrary restrictions imposed on visits from his lawyer.
Ayachi Hammami is a prominent Tunisian human rights lawyer and defender. For decades, he has represented victims of human rights violations and lead national efforts to uphold democracy, judicial independence, and fundamental freedoms. The defender has actively participated in the leadership of multiple human rights organisations in Tunisia and across the region.
On 6 January 2026, following a family visit, Ayachi Hammami’s relatives expressed serious concerns about the continuing deterioration of his health and as a result, the threat now posed to his life and physical integrity. During the visit, his family informed him of the petition launched to implore him to suspend his hunger strike. He expressed his thanks and gratitude to all supporters of the petition (more than 700 signatories up to now), stressing that he was determined to continue his hunger strike, particularly in protest against the arbitrary restrictions imposed on visits from his lawyer, which remain in force without any legal justification.
On 2 December 2025, authorities in Tunisia arrested the human rights defender at his home in Tunis to enforce a five-year prison sentence for ‘belonging to a terrorist organisation’ based on false accusations in a high profile case. Upon his arrest, he announced via a video posted on social media, that he had begun a hunger strike in protest against the injustice of his detention and to express his ongoing struggle to secure freedoms and democracy in Tunisia.
Front Line Defenders is deeply alarmed by the continued denial of Ayachi Hammami’s full and unrestricted right to communicate with his lawyers. It constitutes a serious violation of the right to access legal representation and the right to defence, as guaranteed under national law and international human rights standards. This continued denial places his life in serious danger, given the significant deterioration of his health and the voiced intention to continue his hunger strike.
The organisation echoes the calls made by Ayachi Hammami's family and legal team, asking the authorities in Tunisia to take full responsibility for his life, safety and physical integrity. Front Line Defenders underscores their obligation to guarantee immediate access to urgent and independent medical care, to respect his human dignity, and to ensure detention conditions in line with international standards.
Front Line Defenders calls on international human rights mechanisms and professional bodies, in particular, bar associations in Tunisia and the wider region, to intervene urgently, prioritise the case and use all available means to press for Ayachi Hammami’s release.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Tunisia to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Ayachi Hammami;
- Guarantee urgent access to specialised and independent medical care without delay;
- Remove the arbitrary restrictions imposed on visits from his lawyer and guarantee his full right to defence and access legal assistance;
- Cease the judicial harrassment of human rights defenders in Tunisia and ensure in all circumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.
On 2 December 2025, the authorities in Tunisia arrested human rights defender and lawyer Ayachi Hammami, an emblematic figure of the Tunisian human rights movement, at his home in Tunis to enforce a five-year prison sentence based on false accusations in the high profile ‘conspiracy case.’
Ayachi Hammami is a prominent Tunisian human rights lawyer and defender. For decades, he has been representing victims of human rights violations and leading national efforts for democracy, judicial independence, and fundamental freedoms. He has actively participated in the leadership of multiple human rights organisations in Tunisia and across the region.
On 27 November 2025, in the case known as ‘the conspiracy case’, the Court of Appeal handed down sentences ranging from 10 to 45 years in prison for defendants in custody and from 5 to 35 years for those at liberty. This case involving political figures, lawyers, former civil servants and security agents, and it has been ongoing since February 2023. During the hearing, Ayachi appeared before the judge but refused to answer questions as an act of solidarity with the detainees who were denied their right to appear in court. Ayachi Hammami was sentenced to five years in prison and two years of administrative supervision.
After his arrest, a video was released on his social media account in which Ayachi Hammami stated that his arrest is an arbitrarily political decision. He also announced that he would be starting a hunger strike to express his ongoing struggle for freedoms and democracy in Tunisia.
In 2023, Ayachi Hammami became a target of severe judicial harassment in retaliation for his legitimate human rights work. He was charged in May 2023 with ‘’failure to report the existence of a terrorist organisation” and “belonging to a terrorist organisation” in the high-profile “conspiracy case”—a politicised investigation targeting opposition figures and human rights defenders. Initially, he had acted as a defence lawyer in this case. In October 2023, the investigating judge imposed a travel ban and a ban on “appearing in public” against him. He was convicted on 18 April 2025 by the First Instance Court and sentenced to eight years in prison. The Court of Appeal quashed the first conviction, but upheld the second one. In addition, Ayachi Hammami remains under investigation for statements made to the media in his capacity as a lawyer, under Decree-Law 54, which carries a potential 10-year prison s entence. Despite facing persistent judicial harassment, Ayachi Hammami has continued his crucial human rights work, advocating for dismissed judges, political prisoners, and the rule of law in an increasingly repressive environment in Tunisia.
In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the Tunisian government's crackdown on civil society. This is characterised by arbitrary detention, financial restrictions—including asset freezes and bank blockades—and judicial orders to suspend independent NGOs and target their members. Several human rights organisations have been subjected to temporary suspension. While some human rights defenders and humanitarian workers were recently released, others remain in arbitrary detention.
Front Line Defenders condemns the arrest of Ayachi Hammami, believing it to be a direct reprisal by the Tunisian authorities for his legitimate and peaceful work as a human rights defender and lawyer. The prosecution and detention of Ayachi Hammami reflect a broader pattern of criminalisation of human rights defenders and politicisation of the judiciary, which undermines the right to defend and to freedom of expression, assembly and association in Tunisia.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Tunisia to:
- Immediately release human rights defender and lawyer Ayachi Hammami;
- Drop all the charges against Ayachi Hammami;
- Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Tunisia are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, in line with Tunisia’s international human rights obligations and commitments.
