Ghannouchi’s letter to judge from prison

This message was written by Rached Ghannouchi on the summons notice which was sent to him by the judge in one of the many cases fabricated by the authorities against him:

Text:

With greetings and respect for your judicial capacity, I regret to inform you of my refusal to appear before you.

How I wish I had been able to do that because I am completely convinced of my innocence and the party’s innocence of clandestine work and violence. I have spent half a century absorbing from the noble path of Islam with its justice and mercy.

I wish there was a minimum modicum of fair trial, where the litigants and the judge himself were themselves safe, and where the law and conscience were the judge’s banner. But unfortunately, the judges live under the threat of the highest authority in the country, because whoever acquits the accused is considered one of them.

The matter has gone beyond threats to action and the trial of dozens of elites and the best judges in Tunisia.

Therefore, I find myself compelled not to attend in order to spare you the embarrassment and not contribute to the pressure and threats to which the judges may be exposed if they rule fairly and acquit me and my party.

We are facing an issue that affects justice, a political issue that concerns the most important party in the country, in which the judiciary is used for political purposes and objectives.

And with God you meet opponents.

Rashid Ghannouchi

Mornaguia prison

Read: Tunisia Court of Appeal upholds 3-year prison sentence against Ghannouchi