Maghreb Edition

Tunisia: Police call head of dissolved opposition party Ennahdha for more questioningF

Posted On 20 February 2023

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The head of Tunisia’s dissolved parliament is facing a new police inquiry, his Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party said Monday, days after a string of arrests mainly targeting opposition political figures. Rached Ghannouchi, President Kais Saied’s 81-year-old arch-rival, was ordered to appear at a police station in the capital on Tuesday, Ennahdha spokesman Imed Khemiri told journalists, calling it “a new attack on political leaders”. Khemiri said the party “does not know the reasons for this summons, but it is part of an enquiry after a complaint was lodged by an unknown person”. A party official who asked not to be named said the complaint came from a member of Tunisia’s powerful police unions, who “claimed to have a recording of a telephone call” involving Ghannouchi.

The latest in a string of legal woes facing Ghannouchi comes a year and a half after Saied launched a dramatic power grab in the birthplace of the Arab Spring, freezing and later scrapping the legislature Ghannouchi headed. Several prominent Saied critics have since faced trial in military courts and the president’s rivals have accused him of trying to reinstall  one-man rule, over a decade after the pro-democracy revolt that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Many of the enquiries have targeted Ennahdha, which has been a major political force in Tunisia’s parliament and most governments since the 2011 revolution.

Ghannouchi was questioned by an anti-terror judge in November over alleged involvement in helping Tunisians travelling to fight for jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria. Prior to that he was interrogated over alleged money laundering in relation to foreign donations for an Ennahdha-linked charity. Zeineb Brahmi, the party’s legal chief, quipped that “we don’t know whether the investigation this time will be over plotting against state security, financial corruption or ‘terrorism'”.

Khemiri accused authorities of “harassing” Saied’s rivals saying it had become “very easy” for authorities to prosecute politicians. “All it needs is a complaint to be lodged for the  police to open an investigation, with zero verification of its basis,” he said. At least 10 public figures have been arrested in the past 10 days, mainly critics of Saied, including members of Ennahdha and the head of a major private radio station.

AFP

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Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.