The families of the detainees in the "conspiracy against state security" case, on Sunday, staged a protest in front of the Municipal Theatre in Tunis. Joined by defence lawyers, they called for the release of the detainees, who have been held without interrogation for a year, despite being in pre-trial detention for 365 days. Shouting slogans and waving banners and pictures of the detainees, the demonstrators called on the authorities to close what they described as a "meaningless" case. The arrests in the "conspiracy against state security" case, which took place in February 2023, targeted politicians, businessmen and state officials. They included Jawhar ben Mbarek, Khayem Turki, Ghazi Chaouachi, Issam Chebbi, Ridha Belhaj and Abdelhamid Jelassi. "All the evidence confirms that the case is empty," defence lawyer Samir Dilou told TAP. Regarding the health of the prisoners, Dilou recalled that they had been on hunger strike for two weeks. Ghazi Chaouachi and Ridha Belhaj have ended their hunger strike d ue to health problems, Dilou said, suggesting that others may follow suit due to their deteriorating health. He expressed hope that the judiciary would take into account the prisoners' health condition. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse