Int'l committee demands release of Tunisia's oppn leader Rached Ghannouchi

Not many may remember that it is one year since the arrest of Tunisia's opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi who once had steered the government of the country from outside the cabinet and volunteer a passive role despite being the leader of the largest single party Ennahda.

But now, marking the first anniversary of Ghannouchi's arrest, an international committee has been formed to raise awareness of the imprisonment of the 82-year old, notably the “oldest prisoner of conscience in the Arab world”, as reported by Al-Jazeera.

The International Committee for Solidarity with Rached Ghannouchi said the group has been formed by “statesmen and women and intellectuals from around the world” who are dedicated to the release of the imprisoned Ennahdha party leader and former speaker of Tunisia’s parliament.

“Rached Ghannouchi was unjustly detained at his home on the night of April 17, 2023, corresponding to the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan, without any regard to the sanctity of his home, age, or status, during the holiest month in the Islamic calendar,” the committee said in a statement.

“His alleged crime? A speech at a public event held by the opposition National Salvation Front where he criticized the dissolution of the elected parliament, suspension of democratic institutions and illegitimate suspension of the constitution since July 25, 2021,” the committee said.

Ghannouchi appeared in court on charges of plotting against state security. He is among more than 20 opposition figures arrested since February. The charges raised against him included the accusation that his party had received foreign funding.

Ghannouchi was also handed a fine of 1,000 dinars ($326; €300).

A vocal critic of Tunisia’s increasingly powerful President Kais Saied, Ghannouchi became the highest-profile figure to be arrested in the continuing consolidation of power by Saied who was elected in 2019 and has overseen a wave of repression and legal reforms that have expanded his rule as president.

He appeared in court at the end of February on charges of plotting against state security after he was accused of calling police officers "tyrants."

He had also warned that a "civil war" could emerge in Tunisia if the government worked to eradicate left-wing and Islamist opposition groups.

Ghannouchi's Ennahda was the largest party in parliament before President Kais Saied dissolved the chamber in July 2021.

Human Rights Watch has described Saied as carrying out a “power grab”, jailing critics and political opponents, and undermining the independence of the country’s judiciary.

Saied has defended his actions, saying his policies as focused on rooting out corruption and fighting government incompetence.

The committee recalled that until his arrest, Ghannouchi had played “an essential role in consolidating the foundations of an emerging democratic system … reducing political and ideological polarization, and enacting a progressive, pluralistic constitution".

The committee also wants to end the use of Tunisia’s judiciary, media and executive institutions to target Tunisia’s political opposition. It called on governments around the world and international civil society groups to demand that Tunisian authorities free “all prisoners of conscience” and respect their “obligations under international law”.