The US says the arrests “represent a disturbing escalation by the Tunisian government against perceived opponents.”
Several world powers have condemned the arrests of political opponents in Tunisia, including main opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, and warned of President Kais Saied’s escalating actions.
In a statement on Wednesday, the US government said Monday’s arrest of former parliament speaker Ghannouchi and the closure of the Ennahdha party headquarters “fundamentally violate the principles that Tunisians have adopted in a constitution,” deputy spokesman said. Vedant Patel of the State Department. .
He said the arrests “represent a disturbing escalation by the Tunisian government against alleged opponents”.
He added that respect for freedom of expression and human rights was essential “to the US-Tunisia relationship”.
Since early February, authorities in the North African country have arrested more than 20 political critics and personalities who accused Saied of a coup over his moves to close parliament and rule by decree before rewriting the constitution.
Following Ghannouchi’s arrest on Monday, a Tunisian investigating judge ordered his imprisonment on Thursday, the politician’s lawyer told Reuters.
Ghannouchi, 81, is charged with conspiracy against internal state security and the decision to jail him followed an eight-hour investigation, she added.
“It was a willing decision to jail Ghannouchi just because of Ghannouchi’s expression of his opinion,” lawyer Monia Bouali told Reuters.
Ghannouchi’s official Facebook page published a comment by him after the judge’s decision, stating: “I am optimistic about the future…Tunisia is free.”
Further convictions
On Thursday, Malaysia’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it was “deeply concerned” about the latest developments in Tunisia.
“Due to his health and age, we appeal for special consideration and mercy to Mr. Rached Ghannouchi during this blessed month of Ramadan,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said in the statement.
Earlier this week, the European Union recalled the “importance of respect for the rights of the defense and the right to a fair trial” in Tunisia.
“We also underline the fundamental principle of political pluralism,” the statement said on Tuesday. “These elements are essential to any democracy and form the basis of the European Union’s partnership with Tunisia.”
Also on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would speak to authorities in Tunisia to convey his concern over Ghannouchi’s arrest.
“We have not yet been able to reach the authorities in Tunisia by phone, but we will continue to try to reach them,” Erdogan said in a televised interview.
“If we can talk to them, we will tell them we don’t think this is appropriate,” he added.
The Islamist-inspired opposition party Ennahdha held the most seats in Tunisia’s parliament before President Saied dissolved the chamber in July 2021 in a power grab that allowed him to rule by decree.
Saied, 65, claims those arrested were “terrorists” involved in a “conspiracy against state security”.
Opponents called his actions a “coup” and a return to autocratic rule in the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings in the region more than a decade ago.
At a ceremony on Tuesday, Saied called on the judiciary — which he took control of last year — to “play its role in this phase the country is going through.”
Ghannouchi was exiled for more than two decades under the late dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, but returned after the 2011 revolution to become a dominant figure in Tunisian politics.
In recent months, he has appeared in court at least 10 times on a range of charges, including corruption, money laundering and helping armed fighters travel to Iraq and Syria.