The British Middle East Eye website revealed that Tunisian Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi, whose dismissal was announced by President Kais Saied, was subjected to a physical assault at the presidential palace last Sunday, before agreeing to resign from the position.
And the website quoted in an “exclusive” report and signed by the editor-in-chief, from sources close to Al-Mashishi, that the latter was physically assaulted, but the nature of the injuries he suffered was not verified, because he has not been out publicly since his dismissal.
He explained that well-informed sources reported that Al-Mashishi's injuries were large, and one of the sources said that the injury was in the face, and this is the reason why he has not appeared in public so far.
And the British website quoted the sources, that Al-Mashishi refused requests to step down from the presidency, the latest of which was on Sunday, after which he was beaten, and indicated that “non-Tunisian” people were in the palace at that time.
The website said that it understood that "the non-Tunisian individuals who were present in the palace on the night of the coup, were advising Said before the coup, and directing operations there, and it is unclear what role they played in the interrogation of Meshichi."
On Sunday evening, President Qais Saeed announced the freezing of the parliament's competencies, the lifting of immunity from his deputies, and the dismissal of Prime Minister Hisham Al-Mashishi. He also decided to take over the executive authority with the help of a prime minister who would appoint him himself, and to assume the presidency of the Public Prosecution Office to trigger judicial follow-up against those suspected of corruption.
A day after his dismissal, the dismissed Tunisian Prime Minister Hicham Al-Mashishi pledged to hand over responsibility to anyone chosen by President Kais Saied, in a statement he posted on his Facebook page, without appearing in public.
And the British "Middle East Eye" website revealed, about two months ago, a document that was said to have been leaked from the office of the Director of the President's Office, Kais Saied, and talks about a plan for a "constitutional dictatorship" being prepared for it in Tunisia.
The document talks about a plan, described as a "tool" to concentrate all powers in the hands of the President of the Republic, ending with the withdrawal of confidence from the elected government, and placing senior officials and political leaders under house arrest, including Prime Minister Hisham al-Mashishi.
The document referred to the mechanisms for activating the Tunisian president's article (80) of the constitution, which gives him complete control over the state in a state of national emergency.