Mohamed Abbou calls for boycott of political trials, urges accused and lawyers to challenge legitimacy

In a social media message, he argued that the legitimacy of these proceedings should no longer be recognized, urging the accused to refuse to appear in court and their lawyers to cease defending the merits of the cases. This stance follows the conviction of journalist Zied El Heni, whose health reportedly deteriorated during his transfer to court. Abbou revealed that El Heni had asked him not to publicly discuss his illness, a wish respected by his family.

However, Abbou stated that the issue is now El Heni's significant exhaustion after arriving at court around 2 PM in the heat, following a prison transport with poor conditions. His lawyer noted extreme fatigue and speech difficulties before his family visit. Abbou also mentioned El Heni suffers from high blood pressure.

Regarding a land regularization case in Carthage, where El Heni served on the special municipal delegation, Abbou asserted that no evidence shows El Heni personally approved the regularization or sale. He also recalled that El Heni had insisted his lawyers fully defend him in another case concerning "harm to others," which arose from his revelations about an arrest leading to an officer's death and a journalist's three-and-a-half-year imprisonment before acquittal. Based on these observations, Abbou believes a new strategy is needed for political trials