Tunisia court postpones ex-Tayyar Party head's hearing

A hearing scheduled with the former Secretary-General of Tunisia’s Tayyar Party, Ghazi Chaouachi, was postponed yesterday as the investigating judge was on sick leave, Anadolu news agency reported.

“The investigation office was closed today, and we were informed that the investigating judge is on sick leave, and Chaouachi was not brought from prison to attend his hearing,” Al-Ayashi Al-Hamami, a member of the Chaouachi defence team, said in a press statement.

“We call on lawyers to continue mobilising to defend Chaouachi,” he added.

On 25 February, Tunisian authorities arrested Chaouachi, and charged him with “conspiracy against state security”, along with a number of other activists and politicians in the country.

Chaouachi also faces a second charge brought by Justice Minister Leila Jaffel who accused him of “spreading false news”.

As of 11 February, Tunisia witnessed a campaign of arrests that included politicians, media figures, activists, judges and businessmen. Days later, President Kais Saied accused some of those arrested of “conspiring against state security”.

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