Tunisia’s Ennahdha party says leader summoned for questioning
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Loading... - Charlotte Reid
- 21 Feb 2023
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Rached Ghannouchi, speaker of dissolved parliament, told to appear at police station after arrests of president’s critics.
Tunisian police have summoned the head of the biggest opposition party for questioning after a string of arrests targeting critics of President Kais Saied have raised concerns over free speech and political rights.
Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahdha party and speaker of an elected parliament that Saied formally dissolved last year, has been asked to present himself at a Tunis police station on Tuesday, Ennahdha spokesperson Zayneb Brahmi said.
Police have not revealed the purpose of the investigation, Reuters quoted Brahmi as saying at a news briefing. There was no immediate comment by the Ministry of the Interior.
Ghannouchi was questioned several times last year on suspicion of illicit funding for Ennahdha and helping send Tunisian fighters to Syria to support ISIL (ISIS) fighters. The party has denied the accusations against Ghannouchi, and judges decided not to hold him in detention pending investigation.
Ennahdha, the largest party in the parliament before its dissolution, has played a leading role in successive coalition governments since Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, which brought about democratic rule.
After winning the 2019 presidential election, Saied seized most powers in 2021, shutting down parliament and moving to rule by decree before rewriting the constitution. His critics, including Ennahdha, have denounced his actions as an anti-democratic coup. Read More…
