Islamist leader Ghannouchi of Tunisia is detained, and party headquarters are searched
-
Roshan Amiri
- . April 18, 2023
- . Update: April 18, 2023 7:19 pm
According to his attorney, prominent Tunisian Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi was taken into custody on Monday following a police search.
The action against the 81-year-old former speaker of the house comes as social unrest and economic woes in Tunisia, the country that gave birth to the pro-democracy Arab Spring movement more than 10 years ago, are on the rise.
Kais Saied, the president of Tunisia, is most frequently criticized by Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahdha party.
Early on Tuesday, Tunisian police conducted a raid on the main headquarters of the Islamist Ennahda party and began evacuating everyone inside, according to party insiders who spoke to Reuters.
Riadh Chaibi, a party official, claimed that the police escorted everyone outside and started searching the headquarters after displaying a court order.
Read | Fighting continues in Sudan as the death toll reaches 97
Following a police search, Ennahdha tweeted that Ghannouchi had been “taken from his home,” adding that it “condemns this very dangerous development.” The Associated Press was informed by his attorney Nejib Chebbi that Ghannouchi was being held.
The cause of the detention was kept a secret. According to Tunisian media, Ghannouchi would be questioned in relation to an online video that supposedly shows him predicting civil war.
Ghannouchi had already been detained for questioning on charges of money laundering and supporting terrorism through a charity. His party asserts that the accusations are politically motivated, and he has denied any misconduct.
As popular skepticism about Tunisia’s democracy has grown, Saied shut down the Ennahdha-led parliament in 2021 and has since taken steps to solidify his position of authority.
