A Tunisian judge has ordered Thursday the imprisonment of the leader of the Islamist Ennahda party, Rachid Ghanuchi, arrested on Monday and investigated for an alleged »plot against the security of the state», in the framework of a campaign of arrests against politicians and activists critical of the president, Kais Saied.
The order was issued by the investigating judge of the Tunis Court of First Instance three days after Ghanuchi was arrested at his home following statements deemed »inflammatory,» a move immediately condemned by Ennahda, which said it was a »political» decision.
»The aim is to cover up the catastrophic failure of the coup authorities to improve the social, economic and living conditions of citizens and their inability to cope with the financial crisis that is bankrupting the country, amid an unprecedented wave of price increases during the month of Ramadan,» said the Islamist formation.
Thus, the party has pointed out in a statement published through its account on the social network Facebook that the Tunisian authorities are committing »an abuse» against Ghanuchi, whom it has described as »a national symbol who spent part of his life resisting the dictatorship and peacefully fighting for freedoms and democracy».
Ennahda stressed that Ghanuchi was elected Speaker of Parliament »after a free election» and argued that these actions against him »will not save the country from the complex crises it is suffering nor will it weaken his opponents».
In this line, he reiterated that the statements for which Ghanuchi has been arrested »do not contain any incitement» and emphasized that »the prosecution has deliberately cut the intervention to justify an unjust detention». Therefore, he applauded »the patience and endurance» of his leader in the face of »flagrant violations» surrounding the case.
In his statements, the party leader called the actions of Saied — who in July 2021 arrogated to himself all powers after dissolving the government and suspending the subsequently dissolved parliament — a »coup» and said »we must not be tolerant in the face of it and must categorically condemn it».
»That is why I consider that the success of the National Salvation Front is to go beyond this ‘paralysis’. There is an intellectual and ideological paralysis that actually lays the foundations for a civil war. Imagine a Tunisia without one group or another, without Ennahda, without political Islam, without the left or any other component. It would be the basis for a civil war,» Ghanuchi said, in a criticism of the repressive campaign against the opposition.
Finally, the Islamist party has outlined that »it will maintain its legitimate and civilized struggle» and called on social forces to »defend the gains of the revolution (of 2011 against the then president, Zine el Abidine ben Ali), the most important of which is freedom of thought and expression». »We ask activists to stick to peaceful civil activities,» he has concluded.
In addition to Ghanuchi, Tunisian authorities arrested three other senior Ennahda officials – Belgacem Hasen, Mohamed Cheniba and Mohamed Gumani – all of whom are also under investigation for alleged »plotting against state security». The authorities have also closed down the headquarters of Ennahda and of the opposition coalition National Salvation Front and banned meetings of their members.
The opposition, mostly grouped around the National Salvation Front, has denounced an authoritarian drift of the president and has demanded his resignation, especially after his call for a boycott in the December and January legislative elections resulted in a participation rate close to ten percent.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
