Tunisia: Opposition party leader arrested ahead of elections
A leader of the opposition party in Tunisia was arrested on July 13th, according to a statement released by the Islamist-inspired Ennahda Party on Facebook, reports The New Arab. The arrest comes amid accusations against the current president Kais Saied of weakening opposition parties through judiciary powers.
According to the statement, secretary-general Ajmi Lourimi and two other Ennahda Party members were detained without judicial permission in the Borj al-Amri region. They were also not being charged.
“We demand the immediate release of brother Ajmi Lourimi, the Secretary General of the Ennahda Party, and for the brothers Muhammad Al-Ghanoudi and Masaab Al-Gharbi,” the party stated in Arabic. “We also reaffirm our demand for the release of all political prisoners and to stop indicting, suspending and prosecuting political rivals.”
On July 10th, Lourimi released a statement on behalf of the party addressing the upcoming presidential elections in October.
“We affirm that these elections cannot be truly democratic, fair, transparent and competitive except by purifying the political climate, ensuring equal opportunities, releasing political detainees, lifting restrictions on party activity, and ensuring freedom of expression, candidacy and choice,” said Lourimi in the statement.
READ: Tunisia: Hundreds protest for presidential election date
In 2021, two years after he was elected, incumbent president Kais Saied dissolved the Tunisian parliament and began ruling by decree, a decision he called legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption. The opposition decried the move as a coup.
Ennahda has been the prominent opposition party in Tunisian politics since the Ben Ali regime was toppled in 2011 during the Arab Spring. Last year, Saeid’s government arrested the party’s chief Rached Ghannouchi and sentenced him to a year in absentia over charges of incitement. It also closed down the party’s offices across the country.
The defence committee of political detainees in Tunisia has vowed to sue President Kais Saied over the arbitrary detention of opposition figures.
READ: Tunisia: political opposition gives election ultimatum
Over the course of 14 months, 52 people have been tried for conspiracy against state security under the controversial anti-terrorism law which defines terrorism as “causing harm to private and public property, vital resources, infrastructure, transportation and communication means, computer systems, or public services.”
Activists and political figures such as Khayam Al-Turki, Issam Chebbi and Jawhar Ben Mubarak are among the detained.
The New Arab/Agencies/Ennahda Party
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa? Enter your email address and name to receive our weekly newsletter.
