![The Assembly of the Representatives of the People (ARP) will hold its first plenary session, after the issuance of the order related to calling Parliament to convene at Bardo in Tunis, Tunisia on March 13, 2023 [Yassine Mahjoub/NurPhoto via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1248136747.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Defence lawyer Dalila Mosaddeq said the European delegation’s visit is an indication that the cases against the detainees do not concern only Tunisians, but also Europeans, because the names of European delegations were also included in the litigation.
Mosaddeq explained that the European delegation’s visit was an interference in national affairs, noting that the delegation would study and understand the file in order to take a decision in the European Parliament.
The officials aim to discuss the case of those being held under the “conspiracy against state security” case, they include Abdul Hamid Al-Jalasi, Jawhar Bin Mubarak, Ghazi Al-Shawashi, Essam Al-Shabi, Reda Belhaj, Khayam Al-Turki and Kamal Al-Latif, who were arrested in February.
In August, a Tunisian court extended the defendants’ detention for another four months, pending “further investigation”, although the investigating judge has met them only once and no developments were recorded in their file, according to lawyer Islam Hamza.
Hamza has called on the Tunisian authorities to release the detainees because the file is “politically motivated” and the decision in their case is made on the political level and not by the judiciary.
Hamza confirmed that the “conspiracy case file” is empty, describing it as a scandal that is only bringing shame to the Tunisian state.
The Court of Appeal will consider the defence’s appeal against the four-month extension tomorrow. With a protest being held outside the court to call for their immediate release.
READ: Tunisia detains journalist sentenced to 5 years in prison in absentia
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