The Geneva Center for Democracy and Human Rights has been informed that the President of the Ennahdha political party and President of Tunisian parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, is being summoned for the 7th time since March 2022 ahead the investigating judge of the anti-terrorism unit of the Tunisian Court today, Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
This summons comes a few days after the arrest of a number of other political leaders and activists from all political backgrounds, as well as journalists and union activists. The timing of this summons raises concerns about a possible arrest of Mr. Ghannouchi. This recent wave of arrests follows President Said’s failure to mobilize Tunisians to participate in the elections he organized at the end of January 2023. Only 11% of voters participated in the elections, a historically low level, as a result of opposition calls for a boycott. With these arrests, President Said wants to regain the initiative and break the momentum of his opposition. The arrest of Mr. Ghannouchi would be an additional and dangerous step towards increased political tension and instability in Tunisia.
The current summons is based on an accusation that Mr. Ghannouchi had a conversation with the banned terrorist group Ansar-Al-sharia. The current file is based on a statement by a member of the police forces claiming to have a recording of this conversation. This person claims to have handed over this recording to his superiors without keeping a copy, but they subsequently destroyed the recording to protect Mr. Ghannouchi. The superiors of this police officer have rejected the accusations and denied having received this recording from him. Instead of rejecting the accusations due to the absence of any supporting evidence, the Minister of Justice ordered the prosecution to open a new file and summon Mr. Ghannouchi for questioning. There is a strong likelihood that the Magistrate, out of fear of being dismissed by the executive authorities, may resort to detaining Mr. Ghannouchi until the end of the investigation, which can last from a few days to several months.
Mr. Ghannouchi and his Ennahdha party have been subjected to a systematic targeting campaign aimed at legitimizing President Said’s coup and diverting public attention from the rampant economic crisis and ongoing attacks against democracy in Tunisia by President Said and his supporters. Ultimately, President Said is attempting to eradicate political parties and their leaders by using fabricated cases and instrumentalizing the judiciary, particularly against Ennahdha and its leadership.
The Geneva Center for Democracy and Human Rights expresses its concern over the seventh summons of the President of the Ennahdha political party and President of the Tunisian parliament, Rached Ghannouchi. The Geneva Center emphasizes that this summons is based on unfounded allegations that Mr. Ghannouchi had a conversation with the banned terrorist group Ansar-Al-sharia. The evidence presented appears to be weak, and the Geneva Center regrets that charges are being brought against Mr. Ghannouchi for charges that carry prison sentences without credible evidence in fact and law. The Geneva Center emphasizes that these charges constitute harassment and intimidation against Mr. Ghannouchi and threaten democracy in Tunisia and the gains made in human rights, including the right to freedom of expression.
The Geneva Center urges Tunisian authorities to protect citizens’ freedom of expression by abandoning their policy of harassment and intimidation against political leaders, activists, and journalists. It also calls for a thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation into the allegations against Mr. Ghannouchi, ensuring his right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence. Finally, the Geneva Center calls on the international community to closely monitor the situation in Tunisia and support efforts to preserve democratic advances and human rights in the country.
