After 15 Years in Prison, Tunisian Engineer Hamadi Jebali Conditionally Released

March 1, 2006

Hamadi Jebali, an engineer and journalist from Tunisia, was one of some 1,600 detainees released by the Tunisian authorities during the weekend of February 25-26, 2006, to mark the 50^th anniversary of the country’s independence from France. Among those released were 75 political prisoners, including Mr. Jebali, who had been imprisoned for more than a decade because of their membership in Ennahda, an Islamist organization that is banned because of its criticism of the policies of the current government. Mr. Jebali is the former editor-in-chief of Ennahda’s now-defunct weekly newspaper Al Fajr (Dawn).

Mr. Jebali had served 15 years of a 16-year prison sentence for “belonging to an illegal organization” and allegedly “attempting to change the nature of the state.” He was found guilty by a military court following a trial that failed to meet international standards. He was considered by Amnesty International to be a prisoner of conscience.

Various reports indicate that Mr. Jebali was tortured in pre-trial detention and held under harsh conditions of confinement throughout his imprisonment, including long periods in solitary confinement, inadequate medical attention, and limited family visits. Although these conditions contributed to a serious deterioration in his health, Mr. Jebali reportedly participated in several hunger strikes while in prison in order to protest prison conditions and his unjust imprisonment.

Mr. Jebali’s release is conditional. According to Amnesty International, at any time and without any judicial process, the Minister of Justice could decide to put him under house arrest, place him “in a public or private institution,” or order his re-arrest to serve the remainder of his sentence.

More detailed background on Mr. Jebali’s case is provided in the case summary.