Tunisia: Ennahda condemns detention of senior members

Ali Laarayedh, Deputy Chairman of the Ennahda Movement and former Prime Minister of Tunisia holds press conference on the investigation of the Ennahda Movement Leader Rachid al-Ghannouchi in Tunis, Tunisia on September 26, 2022 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency]

Tunisia’s Ennahda Movement on Friday condemned the detention of its senior members in the governorate of Béja in the northwest of the country, Anadolu Agency reported.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Ennahda announced: “These arbitrary detentions are part of the systematic campaign aimed at terrorising Tunisians in order to stop their activities aimed at fighting the ongoing coup.”

Ennahda stated that the security services detained a number of its members on Thursday and Friday, including its secretary in the governorate of Béja, Mohammad Boualaqi.

The movement confirmed it knew nothing about their whereabouts, calling for their immediate release from detention.

Since 11 February, Tunisia has witnessed a fierce arrest campaign targeting politicians, journalists, judges, businesspeople and activists.

Tunisian President Kais Saied, who has sacked the elected Parliament, claimed that some detainees had conspired against the state, causing crises across the country.

READ: Tunisia president to dissolve municipal councils, months before local elections

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