Tunisia probes 6 current, ex-envoys for ‘conspiracy against state security’

Three former and three current Tunisian ambassadors are being investigated as part of the case of “conspiracy against state security”, lawyer Lamia Khemiri said.

The Defence Authority has submitted a request to summon them to testify in the file, Khemiri added, expressing great surprise at the Tunisian state’s failure to comment on the summons.

She added that the case began as a result of two tips. “The two people are involved in conspiracy cases, where one is serving a prison sentence and the other is on release and banned from travel,“ Khemiri explained, adding that there is no proof in the case, only WhatsApp messages.

In turn, the head of the Salvation Front, Ahmed Najib al-Shabi, announced the establishment of a network to defend the detainees and raise public awareness at home and abroad, while contacting international human rights organisations and demanding the release of all detainees.

Al-Shabi revealed that the network will call for a demonstration on 5 March in solidarity with the detainees and to demand the release of all political prisoners without exception.

READ: Ennahda confirms Ghannouchi summoned for questioning again

More than two weeks ago, a large-scale campaign of arrests was carried out, including of politicians, journalists, businessmen and trade unionists, and orders were issued to imprison businessman Kamal Al-Latif, former leader of the Ennahda movement Abdul Hamid Jalasi, political activists Khayyam Al-Turki, Johar Bin Mubarak, Shaima Issa, Essam Al-Shabi, Ghazi Ahawashi and Reda Belhaj.

The investigating judge yesterday also issued a prison order against lawyer and political activist Zaher Al-Akrami in relation to suspicions of “forming an agreement with the aim of conspiring against the internal security of the state”.

Tunisian security authorities have been waging a campaign of arrests of opposition politicians as President Qais Saied moves forward with laying the foundations of his new presidential system, which gives him power over both the government and judiciary while removing checks on his authority and weakening parliament.