Amnesty urges Tunisia to release 97 Ennahda members

Amnesty International yesterday called on the Tunisian authorities to immediately release 97 members of the Islamist opposition party Ennahda following their arrest on 12 and 13 September on charges of conspiracy against state security and other anti-terrorism laws.

The organisation stated that the detainees were brought before the anti-terrorism unit for questioning and were denied access to their lawyers for 48 hours.

“Authorities have continued to arbitrarily detain opposition politicians and human rights defenders, sideline presidential candidates and disregard administrative court decisions to reinstate presidential candidates, while the criminal justice system has been weaponised to silence peaceful dissent,” the rights group said.

Senior leaders of Ennahda, including its founder, Rached Ghannouchi, have been imprisoned for around 18 months, facing charges related to terrorism, incitement against the authorities and financial corruption. The party has dismissed these charges as “political and fabricated.”

In a post on X, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said: “#Tunisia authorities are waging a clear pre-election assault on the pillars of human rights and the rule of law, failing to uphold the country’s international human rights obligations and undermining the fundamental principles of justice and fairness.”

#Tunisia authorities are waging a clear pre-election assault on the pillars of human rights and the rule of law, failing to uphold the country’s international human rights obligations and undermining the fundamental principles of justice and fairness.

They have stepped up their…

— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) September 17, 2024

She called on authorities to end this blatant human rights regression and ensure respect for everyone’s rights in the country before, during, and after the upcoming elections.

Presidential elections are due to be held in Tunisia on 6 October, however a number of candidates have been excluded from running, in what rights groups have said is an effort for incumbent President Kais Saied to hold on to power.

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