In Tunisia, President Kais Saied continues his repression of dissent. On the eve of the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to discuss what she called a “new approach” to irregular immigration and economic cooperation, the Defense Committee of Political Prisoners promised to sue the head of state and his […]
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In Tunisia President Kais Saied continue the repression of the dissent. On the eve of the visit of the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonito discuss what he called a “new approach” toirregular immigration and to economic cooperationThe Defense Committee for Political Prisoners promised to sue the head of state and his officials for the arbitrary detention of over fifty opposition representatives. In a press conference on April 16, Islem Hamzaa member of the committee, stated that “after 14 months of detentionpeople arrested on charges of conspiracy against state security they had no evidence against them. However, the authorities insist on keeping them in prison.” The case referred to by the committee began on February 10, 2023, when the National Counterterrorism and Organized Crime Unit sent a one-sentence letter to Leila Jaffel, Minister of Justice, claiming that “some individuals were conspiring against the security of the State”. After more than a year, the investigation into 52 accused it ended on April 16th. The charges against forty were accepted, while 12 of them were reiterated. Among those arrested there are activists and political figures Khayam Al-Turkiformer deputy general secretary of the social democratic party Ettakatol, Issam Chebbileader of the Liberal Party Al Joumhouri and potential opposition candidate in the presidential elections later this year, e Jawhar Ben Mubarakone of the leading figures of National Salvation Front born after Saied’s coup on July 25, 2021.
April 16th was also the first anniversary of the arrest of the most important political prisoner and leader of the Tunisian opposition, Rached Ghannouchi. On that occasion, an international committee was formed to raise public awareness of the detention of the 82-year-old, now the “oldest prisoner of conscience in the Arab world”. “His alleged crime? A speech during a public event held by the opposition National Salvation Front in which he criticized the dissolution of the elected parliament, the suspension of democratic institutions and the illegitimate disruption of the constitution from 25 July 2021,” the committee said. Last February, after almost a year of administrative detention, a Tunisian court sentenced the leader of Ennahda to three years in prison on charges that his party (of moderate Islamist orientation) had received financing foreign.
Saied’s repression is not limited to the political opposition, however. According to the national union of Tunisian journalists (SNJT), around 20 journalists they are currently facing legal charges that the union acronym says are related to their work. The latest case is that of the journalist critical of the presidential regime, Mohamed Boughallebwhich was April 17th sentenced to six months in prison for criticizing a public official on social media, accusing him of “corruption and waste of public resources”. One of the journalist’s lawyers explained that “Mohamed Boughalleb he is paying for having exercised his freedom of expression” while Zied Dabbarpresident of the SNJT, said that the incident “is nothing more than the latest attempt to intimidate and muzzle journalists by exploiting the state apparatus.”
Tags: Tunisia accusation Saied opposition leaders prison Among presidents rival elections
