The Tunisian authorities continue to arbitrarily detain the head of the “dissolved parliament”, leader of the Ennahda movement, and thinker Rashid Ghannouchi for the tenth day in a row on false charges.
On April 17, 2023, Tunisian security arrested Ghannouchi after raiding his house without a court order. The Court of First instance then ordered his detention in the case on “inciting state security.”
On 15 April, The National Salvation Front held a political event, during which Ghannouchi warned that “excluding any party” in Tunisian society could lead to civil war.
In accordance to orders of the political system in the country that has politicised the judiciary, the investigating judge at the Court of First Instance ordered the detention of Ghannouchi.
Twelve people, including Ghannouchi, were referred to investigation on charges of “conspiring to undermine the internal security of the state” and a number of other fabricated charges used by the Tunisian regime to oppress opponents.
After the arrest of Ghannouchi; Security forces stormed the headquarters of Ennahda Movement following a press conference on the arrest of Ghannouchi. It closed the headquarters and banned meetings there for three days.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric had expressed “grave concern” over the arrest of Ghannouchi, political leaders and civil society leaders, and the storming of Ennahda headquarters.
Stephane Dujarric stressed “the need for the president and the government in Tunisia to adhere to the rule of law and due legal procedures, including the right to fair trials and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Tunisia is a party,” said Dujarric who called for the release of all arbitrarily detained persons, including those held for exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.
