ALBAWABA - A Tunisian judge ordered Ennahda Party leader and former parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi jailed following interrogation on suspicion of conspiring against the security of the state.
The investigative judge of the First Instance Court in Tunisia detained Ghannouchi following none hours of questioning on Thursday, the Ennahda party leader’s account on Twitter confirmed.
The judge at Office 33 of the Court of First Instance in Tunis, after an investigative session that lasted more than 9 hours between interrogation & pleadings, decided to detain Mr @R_Ghannouchi, elected Speaker of Parliament & @EnnahdhaParty President, for a declaration he made. https://t.co/XyZFulYfkf
— Tunisians Against The Coup (@TunisiaCoup) April 20, 2023
Ghannouchi could face the death penalty, if convicted.
The Tunisian Ennahda Party described the detention of its 82-year-old president and former parliament speaker as "unjust," saying the move was politically motivated.
The party demanded Ghannouchi's immediate release and an end to intimidating opposition activists. It urged Tunisians to stand together in the face of "these repressive practices that violate the rights and freedoms" of citizens.
@TheProgressives calls for the immediate release of the prominent leader of @EnnahdhaParty Mr. @R_Ghannouchi and all political prisoners. #Tunisia #Tunisie #تونس https://t.co/9KWtMbwTLA
— Mohamed Ali Azaiez ?? (@MohamedAlAzaiez) April 20, 2023
In the past few months, Ghannouchi appeared several times before the prosecution in cases related to corruption and terrorism.
Last Monday, police arrested Ghannouchi from his home in Tunis, after he appeared in a video allegedly threatening to ignite a civil war in the country.
Ghannouchi claimed that supporters of President Kais Saied were "terrorists and extremists."
Since the beginning of February, at least 20 prominent political activists have been arrested, most of them dissidents belonging to the Ennahda Party and its allies.
National Salvation Front: “The prosecution of the most important political figure, by virtue of his position and presence at the forefront of the Tunisian political scene for more than forty years, based on an opinion he expressed on the occasion of an intellectual discussion
— Ennahdha Party (@EnnahdhaParty) April 20, 2023
