The secretary-general of Tunisia’s Ennahda Party, Ajami Lourimi, was arrested on Saturday without judicial permission, along with 2 companions. The party, led by Rached Ghannouchi, who has been in jail since April last year, did not provide a reason for the arrest. Ennahdha was the largest party in parliament until President Kais Saied dissolved the legislature in July 2021 and started ruling by decree.
Saied’s government has shut down on opposition leaders, including Ghannouchi, who faces charges related to “terrorism.” Ennahdha’s offices were closed around Tunisia after Ghannouchi’s arrest. The party had exercised control over Tunisian politics since the 2011 rise-up that toppled the dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Ghannouchi is among over twenty political opponents and dominant figures, including former ministers and business executives, arrested since last year. The arrests come ahead of Tunisia’s general presidential elections in October, though Saied has not claimed if he will seek another term.
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Ennahdha’s leaders, including former prime minister Hamadi Jebali and Mondher Ounissi, have been arrested in recent months. The party has been charged with receiving foreign contributions, which it refuses. Tunisia’s democratic gains since the Arab Spring are being broken, with opposition leaders arrested and the president ruling by decree.
The international community has shown concern over Tunisia’s democratic backsliding, with human rights groups calling for the release of political prisoners and a return to democratic governance. The country’s economic crisis is also bad day by day, with high inflation and unemployment rates. As the election approaches, Tunisia’s political landscape remains unclear, with many fearing a further combination of power by Saied’s government. The European Union and the United States have prompted Tunisia to respect human rights and the rule of law, amid fears of a slide into authoritarianism.
By Arab news
