Tunisian ex-PM Jebali arrested on suspicion of money laundering
2 years, 6 months ago

Tunisian ex-PM Jebali arrested on suspicion of money laundering

Al Jazeera  

Jebali says the arrest is politically motivated, as President Saied continues his crackdown on opponents. Tunisian police have arrested former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, a former senior member of the Ennahdha party, on suspicion of money laundering, his lawyer told Reuters. Jebali’s arrest raises opposition concerns over the human rights situation in Tunisia since President Kais Saied dissolved parliament last July, in a move his opponents called a coup. “The president is personally responsible for Jebali’s physical and psychological well-being,” Jebali’s family said in the Facebook post, and called on civil society and human rights organisations “to stand up against these repressive practices”. In February, Saied dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council, which had acted as the main guarantor of judicial independence since Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, which overthrew former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

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History of this topic

Tunisia Votes in Third Presidential Election Since Arab Spring
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia Votes in Third Presidential Election Since Arab Spring

Associated Press  

Tunisia's third presidential election since the Arab Spring is underway, with President Kais Saied seeking a second term. The election is expected to be closely contested, with few challengers able to challenge his dominance. The outcome will have significant implications for Tunisia's democracy and its future trajectory.

Tunisian authorities escalate pre-election crackdown and arrest Islamists en masse
3 months, 1 week ago

Tunisian authorities escalate pre-election crackdown and arrest Islamists en masse

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Dozens of members of Tunisia’s largest opposition party were arrested this week ahead of the formal start of campaign season for the country’s presidential election, attorneys and officials from the party said Friday. Former Minister of Youth and Sports Ahmed Gaaloul, a member of the party’s executive committee and advisor to its imprisoned leader Rached Ghannouchi, said …

Tunisia’s electoral authority approves just 2 candidates to challenge Saied. 1 has been detained
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia’s electoral authority approves just 2 candidates to challenge Saied. 1 has been detained

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s electoral authority on Monday definitively approved just two candidates to challenge President Kais Saied in elections next month in the struggling North African country — and one of them was promptly arrested. Also Monday, Tunisia’s electoral authority confirmed that only incumbent Saied, Zammel, who leads a small pro-business party, and Zouhair Maghzaoui, a former left-wing pan-Arabist …

Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints

Hindustan Times  

Tunisia has kicked off candidacy submissions for its upcoming presidential election on October 6, amid what experts say are significant constraints on hopefuls challenging incumbent President Kais Saied. Kharrat said many factors are "reducing the credibility" of the upcoming election, referring to the candidacy criteria, the delayed announcement of the election day, and a 2022 law punishing "spreading false news". …

Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints

New Indian Express  

TUNIS: Tunisia has kicked off candidacy submissions for its upcoming presidential election on October 6, amid what experts say are significant constraints on hopefuls challenging incumbent President Kais Saied. Detained for "plotting against the state", the two politicians are among over 20 of Saied's opponents held since a flurry of arrests in February 2023. An expert speaking on condition of …

Tunisian opposition wants political prisoners freed before taking part in presidential election
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Tunisian opposition wants political prisoners freed before taking part in presidential election

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s main opposition coalition said Tuesday it won’t take part in the North African country’s upcoming presidential election unless President Kais Saied’s political opponents are freed and judicial independence is restored. More than 20 political opponents have been charged or imprisoned since Saied consolidated power in 2021 by suspending parliament and rewriting the country’s constitution. The National …

International support for Tunisia’s jailed opposition leader Ghannouchi
8 months, 1 week ago

International support for Tunisia’s jailed opposition leader Ghannouchi

Al Jazeera  

Newly formed International Committee for Solidarity with Rached Ghannouchi says the Ennahdha party leader is ‘oldest prisoner of conscience in the Arab world’. Marking the first anniversary of the arrest of Tunisia’s prominent opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, an international committee has formed to raise awareness of the imprisonment of the 82-year-old, now the “oldest prisoner of conscience in the Arab …

Tunisia’s Islamist party leader is sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism
1 year, 1 month ago

Tunisia’s Islamist party leader is sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — The leader of Tunisia’s moderate Islamist party was sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism and inciting hatred in the North African country, once seen as a model for democracy in the Arab world but increasingly authoritarian in recent years. The Court of Appeal in the capital, Tunis, pronounced the sentence late Monday against the …

2 top officials of Tunisia’s moderate Islamist party arrested while its leader languishes in jail
1 year, 3 months ago

2 top officials of Tunisia’s moderate Islamist party arrested while its leader languishes in jail

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian officials detained a former prime minister for questioning then freed him hours later early Wednesday, but jailed two top officials in the moderate Islamist Ennahdha party whose leader has been imprisoned, the official news agency said. According to Ennahdha, Ounissi, who is standing in for jailed party leader Rached Ghannouchi, was stopped Tuesday night by security …

Who is Ghannouchi, the Ennahdha party leader arrested in Tunisia?
1 year, 8 months ago

Who is Ghannouchi, the Ennahdha party leader arrested in Tunisia?

Al Jazeera  

Rached Ghannouchi is the highest-profile figure to be arrested in Tunisia as President Saied tightens his grip on power. A Tunisian judge has ordered the imprisonment pending trial of Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s main opposition party and an ardent critic of President Kais Saied, on charges of incitement against state authorities. Ennahdha, a self-styled “Muslim democrat” party with …

Arrests of Tunisia opposition leaders draw global condemnation
1 year, 8 months ago

Arrests of Tunisia opposition leaders draw global condemnation

Al Jazeera  

The US says the arrests ‘represent a troubling escalation by the Tunisian government against perceived opponents’. In a statement on Wednesday, the US government said the arrest on Monday of former Speaker of Parliament Ghannouchi and the closure of the Ennahdha party headquarters “are fundamentally at odds with the principles Tunisians adopted in a constitution,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant …

Tunisian authorities close opposition Ennahdha party HQ
1 year, 8 months ago

Tunisian authorities close opposition Ennahdha party HQ

Al Jazeera  

The move comes a day after party leader Ghannouchi was arrested as part of a continuing crackdown on Tunisia’s opposition. Tunisian authorities have closed the headquarters of the opposition Ennahdha party, a day after leader Rached Ghannouchi was arrested, party officials have said. Ennahdha, a self-styled “Muslim Democrat” party, was the largest in Tunisia’s parliament before President Kais Saied dissolved …

Tunisia’s parliament convenes for first time since 2021
1 year, 9 months ago

Tunisia’s parliament convenes for first time since 2021

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s new parliament convened Monday, the first time the country has had a functioning legislature since the president had the previous parliament sealed off by the army in 2021. The main opposition coalition declared it won’t recognize the new parliament, whose members were chosen in December and January in elections boycotted by the president’s opponents and ignored …

Tunisian Islamist leader arrested in crackdown on opposition
1 year, 10 months ago

Tunisian Islamist leader arrested in crackdown on opposition

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian authorities arrested the leader of the Ennahda opposition Islamist movement in a crackdown on rival politicians and critics of the North African country’s increasingly authoritarian president Kais Saied, lawyers said Tuesday. Noureddine Bhiri, a senior Ennahda leader, was taken into custody by armed police at his home in the capital, Tunis, late Monday on suspicion of …

Tunisian voters shun elections seen as test for democracy
1 year, 10 months ago

Tunisian voters shun elections seen as test for democracy

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Voters in Tunisia massively shunned parliamentary elections seen as an important test for their president and their country’s troubled democracy, according to preliminary turnout figures Sunday. They’re seen as a conclusive step in President Kais Saied’s push to consolidate power, tame Islamist rivals and win back lenders and investors needed to save the teetering economy. Analysts note …

Tunisian Islamist party protests arrest of senior leader
2 years ago

Tunisian Islamist party protests arrest of senior leader

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Supporters of the Tunisian Islamist movement Ennahda demonstrated on Friday in front of the Justice Ministry in the capital to denounce the arrest of one of its senior leaders, suspected of being involved in sending Tunisians to fight with extremists in Syria. Protesters demanded the release of former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, vice president of Ennahda, saying …

Opposition hopes democratic ideals can return in Tunisia
2 years ago

Opposition hopes democratic ideals can return in Tunisia

Al Jazeera  

As overseas voting begins, voter apathy is palpable and begs the question if the spirit of democracy in Tunisia is dead. Ghannouchi has dismissed the moves against him and his party as “tyranny” and evidence of what they call Saied’s “coup”, a characterisation the president rejects. “It feels like the party has been effectively criminalised, we can’t speak,” Ounissi said, …

Tunisia detains former PM Ali Laarayedh after 14-hour questioning
2 years, 3 months ago

Tunisia detains former PM Ali Laarayedh after 14-hour questioning

Al Jazeera  

Ali Laarayedh was interrogated for 14 hours and is expected to appear before a judge on Wednesday, his lawyers said. Tunisia’s anti-terrorism police have detained Ali Laarayedh, a former prime minister and senior official in the Ennahdha party, a move the opposition party have called a “political attack” by the country’s president. Laarayedh, who was prime minister from 2013 to …

Tunisian authorities summon Ennahdha leaders for questioning
2 years, 3 months ago

Tunisian authorities summon Ennahdha leaders for questioning

Al Jazeera  

Rached Ghannouchi and Ali Larayedh appeared at a police station after being summoned by ‘anti-terrorism’ police. Rached Ghannouchi, speaker of Tunisia’s dissolved parliament and the president of the Ennahdha party, has appeared at a police station after being summoned to answer questions over what his party has said are accusations relating to “terrorism”. Dozens of protesters, including lawyers and political …

Tunisian president trims parties’ powers ahead of elections
2 years, 3 months ago

Tunisian president trims parties’ powers ahead of elections

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian President Kais Saied has made new changes to electoral law that diminish the role of political parties, three months ahead of legislative elections, in what opposition groups see as the latest step in a sweeping power grab. A new electoral law published overnight Friday reduces the number of members of the lower house of parliament from …

Tunisia opposition leader investigated on terrorism charges
2 years, 5 months ago

Tunisia opposition leader investigated on terrorism charges

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — The leader of Tunisia’s main opposition party is due to be questioned by the country’s anti-terrorism unit on Tuesday on suspicion of money laundering and terrorist financing through an association charity. The accused, Rached Ghannouchi, was among a dozen top Ennahdha party officials whose bank accounts the north African country’s central bank froze earlier this month. President …

Tunisia: Ennahda leader Ghannouchi decries state of ‘tyranny’
2 years, 6 months ago

Tunisia: Ennahda leader Ghannouchi decries state of ‘tyranny’

Al Jazeera  

Rached Ghannouchi says his party and its allies will continue to work against the ‘coup’ and attacks on the constitution. The speaker of Tunisia’s dissolved parliament says the country is living under a state of tyranny as President Kais Saied pushes ahead with plans for a controversial referendum on replacing the constitution. Rached Ghannouchi, speaker of the dissolved parliament and …

Tunisia: Mass anti-Saied protests take place in capital Tunis
2 years, 9 months ago

Tunisia: Mass anti-Saied protests take place in capital Tunis

Al Jazeera  

Last July, President Saied suspended parliament, sacked PM and further expanded his legislative and executive powers. Thousands of Tunisians have taken to the streets of the capital Tunis in the latest of a series of rallies against President Kais Saied, accused by opponents of grabbing power amid a deepening political crisis. In July last year, President Saied suspended parliament and …

Tunisia’s Ennahdha party says senior official detained
2 years, 11 months ago

Tunisia’s Ennahdha party says senior official detained

Al Jazeera  

Tunisia’s Ennahdha says security forces have detained a senior party official, denouncing what it described as an illegitimate attempt to silence political opposition in the country. In a Facebook post on Friday, the party with the largest number of seats in Tunisia’s suspended parliament said plainclothes agents had taken Noureddine Bhairi and his sister-in-law, the lawyer Said al-Akrami, to an …

Tunisian president announces constitutional referendum in 2022
3 years ago

Tunisian president announces constitutional referendum in 2022

Al Jazeera  

President Kais Saied says Tunisia will hold a referendum on a new constitution in July 2022, before general elections in December. Tunisia will hold a constitutional referendum next July, President Kais Saied announced on Monday, months after he seized broad powers in moves his opponents called a coup. The referendum vote would take place on July 25, a year after …

Over 100 Ennahdha members resign amid Tunisia’s political crisis
3 years, 3 months ago

Over 100 Ennahdha members resign amid Tunisia’s political crisis

Al Jazeera  

Senior party members cited Ennahdha’s failure to confront what they called an ‘imminent tyrannical danger’. In a statement on Saturday, 113 senior officials from Tunisia’s largest party announced they resigned over its failure to confront what they called an “imminent tyrannical danger”. “We must confront the coup for the sake of Tunisia.” Some Ennahdha officials had called for the resignation …

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied extends suspension of parliament
3 years, 4 months ago

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied extends suspension of parliament

Al Jazeera  

Saied also extended the suspension of the immunity of members of parliament a month after he dismissed country’s prime minister. Tunisian President Kais Saied has extended the suspension of parliament until further notice, the presidency said, after last month dismissing his prime minister and assuming executive authority in a move opponents branded as a coup. A month after Saied’s sudden …

Tunisia’s Ennahdha is at a crossroads
3 years, 4 months ago

Tunisia’s Ennahdha is at a crossroads

Al Jazeera  

For Ennahdha, in national politics – as well as party politics – important challenges loom on the horizon. The entire country appeared to watch and wait with bated breath for the party to reveal its next move, confirming that Ennahdha remains a key player in Tunisia’s political scene. Khalil Baroumi – once a rising figure in the party who was …

Tunisia: Senior Ennahdha official placed under house arrest
3 years, 4 months ago

Tunisia: Senior Ennahdha official placed under house arrest

Al Jazeera  

Maarouf is the most prominent member of the party to be targeted since President Saied sacked PM last month. A senior official from Tunisia’s Ennahdha party has been placed under house arrest over an alleged abuse of authority. Anouar Maarouf became the most prominent member of the party to be targeted since President Kais Saied dismissed the prime minister and …

‘Defining moment’: What’s next for Tunisia’s Ennahdha?
3 years, 4 months ago

‘Defining moment’: What’s next for Tunisia’s Ennahdha?

Al Jazeera  

Tunis, Tunisia – Ennahdha, the largest party in Tunisia’s parliament, is facing its biggest crisis in decades after President Kais Saied’s shock dismissal of the country’s prime minister and suspension of Parliament on July 25. Rached Ghannouchi, parliament speaker and Ennahdha’s leader, initially called Saied’s activation of Article 80 of the Tunisian constitution – which allows him to assume executive …

Tunisia’s Saied says will not ‘turn into a dictator’ amid arrests
3 years, 4 months ago

Tunisia’s Saied says will not ‘turn into a dictator’ amid arrests

Al Jazeera  

President Saied rejects accusations he staged a coup, as a judge and two members of parliament arrested. It also came a day after Saied said he would “not turn into a dictator” after the arrest of two MPs on Friday, following his decision to lift their immunity when he seized control of the government this week. Tunisia has been thrust …

AP Interview: Tunisia Islamist party counters president
3 years, 4 months ago

AP Interview: Tunisia Islamist party counters president

Associated Press  

TUNIS, Tunisia — The leader of Tunisia’s Islamist party and speaker of parliament said Tuesday that his party is working to form a “national front” to counter President Kais Saied’s decision to suspend the legislature, fire top government officials and take control of the fragile democracy amid the country’s multi-layered crisis. Ennahdha party head Rachid Ghannouchi told The Associated Press …

Ennahda calls for dialogue to resolve Tunisia’s political crisis
3 years, 4 months ago

Ennahda calls for dialogue to resolve Tunisia’s political crisis

Al Jazeera  

Tunis, Tunisia – Tunisia’s largest political party has called for dialogue to resolve the political crisis, changing tack after initially urging MPs and its supporters to protest outside parliament in the capital Tunis on Monday. In a statement published on Tuesday, the Islamist Ennahdha party reiterated that they considered President Saied’s decision to suspend parliament and sack the prime minister …

Tunisia’s democracy since the Arab Spring: Timeline of key events
3 years, 4 months ago

Tunisia’s democracy since the Arab Spring: Timeline of key events

Al Jazeera  

The country’s new constitution is the latest step along a bumpy road since the country’s 2011 revolution. Tunisians are voting for a new constitution, one year after President Kais Saied sacked the government and froze parliament in one of Tunisia’s biggest political crises since the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy. January 2011 – Strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees …

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