The Tunisian government closes the headquarters of Ennahda and the opposition National Salvation Front
18 (EUROPA PRESS)
The leader of the Islamist party Ennahda, Rachid Ghanuchi, has been hospitalized this Tuesday, hours after being arrested by the Tunisian security forces after a search of his home, as confirmed by the president of the opposition National Salvation Front, Ahmed Neyib Chebi.
Chebi, who has not provided further details about Ghanuchi’s state of health, has called it “inadmissible” that the Ennahda leader was arrested for allegedly inflammatory statements made during an act to commemorate the first anniversary of the coalition’s formation. opposition, according to the Tunisian station Mosaique FM.
Ghanuchi, who was president of the Parliament dissolved by the president, Kais Saied – who in July 2021 arrogated all powers after dissolving the Government and suspending the legislative body – was arrested after a search of his home around a video in which he made allegedly “inflammatory” statements. Ennahda has denounced the arrest and has demanded the immediate release of his leader, before pointing out that the statements were taken out of context.
On the other hand, the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior has sent a circular to the provincial governors and local authorities stating that the headquarters of Ennahda and the National Salvation Front are closed and that meetings in the facilities are prohibited, a decision that frames in the current state of emergency in the country.
The opposition, mainly united around the National Salvation Front, has denounced the authoritarian drift of the president and has demanded his resignation, especially after his call for a boycott in the constitutional referendum and in the legislative elections in December and January resulted in a high abstention rate, something they argue reflects Saied’s lack of popular support.
This same Tuesday, the French authorities have said they are aware of the arrest of Ghanuchi and have regretted that it is part of a “worrying wave of arrests” by the Tunisian authorities.
“France reiterates its commitment to freedom of expression and respect for the rule of law. We urge the Tunisian authorities to guarantee respect for judicial independence and the right to free defense,” the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. country.
