Khayam Turki

On 11 February 2023, political activist Khayam Turki was arrested after his home was raided and searched by the First National Unit for the Investigation of Terrorist Crimes, under a judicial warrant, in connection with his participation in political meetings and his contribution to forming an opposition bloc against the ruling authorities. A committal warrant was issued against him on 25 February 2023, and he remained in detention for two years until he was sentenced at first instance to 48 years in prison. Since his arrest and detention in Mornaguia prison, he has suffered from poor prison conditions, including the spread of bedbugs and the possibility that he has contracted skin diseases as a result of neglect. Most significantly, according to documented testimony from his lawyer, Faouzi Jaballah, for more than two years he has been forced to remain in a cell lit 24 hours a day without interruption, causing him psychological suffering and anxiety; he told his lawyer that he longs to see the darkness of night, even for a single hour.