Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi joins group of imprisoned hunger strikers

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has begun a hunger strike in prison, joining other government critics striking to protest what they see as unjust incarceration. The spokesperson for his political party Ennahda, said Monday the strike was to protest what opposition members see as a violation of their freedoms and demand a return to democracy. Ghannouchi, 82, co-founded and leads Ennahda, the Islamist party that ascended to power in Tunisia after the country toppled then-President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. He was arrested last April as part of a crackdown against political opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied and has refused to appear in court to face charges his lawyers describe as politically motivated.