Tunisia: Tunisian authorities close Ennahda offices

Tunisian authorities closed the offices of the Islamist-conservative Ennahda movement across the country on Tuesday, a day after the arrest of its leader Rached Ghannouchi, prompting a strong “concerned” reaction from the European Union.

“A police force came to the party’s main headquarters (in Tunis) and ordered everyone inside to come out before closing it down,” one of the party’s leaders told AFP. Ennahda, Riyadh Saibi. “Police have also closed other party offices across the country and banned all meetings in these premises,” he added.

The move comes a day after party leader Rached Ghannouchi was arrested at his home in Tunis. In addition, the head of the National Salvation Front (FSN), the main opposition coalition of which Ennahda is a member, said on Tuesday that police blocked a press conference his group was to hold to react to Rachet’s arrest. Ghannouchi

“War Without Mercy”

“Police prevented the press conference from taking place and set up barricades in front of the party headquarters,” Ahmad Nejib Sebi told AFP. According to an Interior Ministry circular reprinted by the media, meetings at Ennahda’s offices across the territory and at FSN’s offices in the Greater Tunis region have been banned since Tuesday under the state of emergency in force in the country.

Without mentioning Rached Ghannouchi’s arrest, President Qais Syed, speaking at a ceremony paying tribute to the security services, called for justice to “accept its role in this phase of the country’s transition.”

“We are waging a merciless war against those who seek to undermine the government and its institutions,” he added. The EU, Tunisia’s main partner, said it was following “recent developments with great concern” in the country, citing the arrest of Rached Ghannouchi and the closure of his party’s premises.

“Respect for Rights”

Brussels recalled “the importance of respecting security rights and the right to a fair trial” and underlined “the fundamental principle of political pluralism” with respect to Ennahda. Rached Ghannouchi, 81, who headed the dissolved parliament, was the most prominent opponent arrested since the July 2021 coup of President Syed, who seized full power.

Mr. Kannucci’s arrest came after media reports that he had said this over the weekend.

In a statement released on Tuesday, a spokesman for the National Guard said the reports were “crimes aimed at changing the structure of the state, inciting chaos and inciting citizens to kill each other”. According to him, apart from Rached Ghannouchi, four other people from Ennahda were arrested as part of this investigation.

Authoritarian drift

Since early February, authorities have jailed more than 20 opponents and figures, including former ministers, businessmen and the owner of the country’s most-listened-to radio station, Mosaïque FM. Accused by the opposition of an authoritarian slide, President Syed called those arrested “terrorists” and said they were involved in a “conspiracy against state security”.

After his coup, Qais Said amended the constitution to establish a super-presidential system at the expense of parliament, unlike the dissolved legislature dominated by Ennahda, which has no real powers.

(AFP)Show comments