Wife of Tunisia politician files complaint against interior minister

Tunisian lawyer Saida Al-Akrimi, wife of Ennahda vice-president Noureddine Al-Buhairi, on Friday filed a judicial complaint against Interior Minister Tawfiq Sharafeddine over the kidnapping of her husband, Anadolu Agency reported.

Samir Dilo, member of Al-Buhairi’s defence team, posted on his Facebook page a copy of the complaint filed by Al-Akrimi.

He wrote: “Saida Al-Akrimi received a call on Friday at 14:30 from the criminal investigation branch in Al-Khadraa neighbourhood in Tunis in order to give her account about the complaint she had filed about the kidnapping of her husband on 31 December.”

Dilo added: “The complaint is related to the crimes of kidnapping, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and the formation of illegal crime squads to carry out arbitrary detentions.”

On Monday, Sharafeddine announced that Al-Buhairi and former Interior Ministry official Fathi Al-Baladi were put under house arrest over “terror” claims related to the illegal issuing of passports and travel documents to a Syrian and his wife. Yet, Al-Buhairi has been in prison since 31 December.

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The Ennahda Movement, Al-Buhairi’s family and his defence team denied the claims, describing it as “politicised” and called for his immediate release.

On Sunday, the Tunisian authorities moved Al-Buhairi to the intensive care unit following the deterioration of his health due to his hunger strike, which started on 31 December.

The issue of Al-Buhairi comes amidst a critical political crisis that has hit the country since 25 July when President Kais Saied froze parliament and assumed all powers in the country. Most Tunisians rejected this move and called for Saied to step down.