Tunisia: politicians released after six months in prison

Three officials of Tunisia’s Labour and Achievement Party have been released from prison after being held for six months. The news was announced by party leader Abdul Latif Al-Makki on Tuesday.

“Mohammad Bin Salem, Ahmad La’mari and Ali Al-Lafi were released on condition that they stay in the city of Gabes until justice has been achieved,” Al-Makki wrote on Facebook.

Bin Salem was a senior leader of Ennahda and former minister; La’mari was a former minister and an MP; and Al-Lafi is a political activist. All three were detained in March after claims that they crossed the border without permission, had a sizeable sum of money in cash and got wealthy without any obvious reason.

Tunisian President Kais Saied has been cracking down on politicians, activists, journalists, judges, businessmen and critics of his regime since February. He accuses them of “conspiring against the state and causing economic crises, including the increase in the cost of bread.”

READ: Amnesty warns EU against its silence towards rights abuses in Tunisia