“Unbelievable! Rached Ghannouchi, the Opposition Leader of Ennahda Party, has been Arrested in Tunisia!”

The former speaker of the Tunisian parliament Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist party Ennahdha, has been in the crosshairs of the authorities for months. He was arrested at his home on Monday evening, April 17.

Tunis-based journalist Amira Souilem

Rached Ghannouchi was arrested at his home Monday night during a break in fasting. His home was searched and the political leader was taken to the National Guard anti-terror team without a warrant, according to his party. The party calls it “hijacking”; no arrest. The statement calls for his “immediate release”.

In recent months, the political leader has been repeatedly summoned by courts suspected of links to terrorism, money laundering and even attempts to destabilize the current regime. In February he faced an anti-terrorist tribunal after filing a complaint accusing him of calling the police “tyrants”.

The adversary was also questioned by an anti-terrorist judge in November 2022 for allegedly sending
jihadists to Syria and Iraq.

In July of the same year, he was also questioned on corruption and money laundering charges related to transferring funds from abroad to an Ennahdha-affiliated charity.

About twenty opponents have been arrested since last February. These arrests, including those of former ministers, businessmen and the head of Mosaïque FM, have been condemned by local and international NGOs.

The arrest took place on the night of “Destiny”; the holiest night of ramadan. A moment that outraged some members of the Islamist party Ennahdha, who see this arrest as a way to divert the authorities’ attention from the severe economic crisis the country is going through.

(Axadle and with AFP)