Today, Friday, supporters of the Ennahda movement organized a protest in front of the Palace of Justice in Tunis, in solidarity with the former prime minister and deputy head of the movement, Ali Laarayedh, after he was imprisoned in connection with what is known as the “deportation to hotbeds of tension” case.

The protesters demanded the release of Al-Areed and the overthrow of what they describe as a coup, stressing that the "systematic targeting" of the movement and its leaders comes to cover up the "utter failure" of the legislative elections.

During the stand, in which lawyers and human rights activists participated, the protesters chanted slogans, "Down with the coup," "Freedoms, freedoms, the police state and Fat (ended)," and "No to unfair trials."

"Our protest today in front of the Palace of Justice aims to send a message that targeting the movement's leaders will not intimidate them or discourage them from continuing the struggle to overthrow the coup and restore the democratic path," Riyad al-Shuaibi, advisor to the head of the Ennahda Movement, said in a statement to Anadolu Agency.

He added, "The decision to imprison Professor Ali Al-Areedh is unjust. What is happening is a political measure to distract Tunisian public opinion from the failure of the early legislative elections, and from the worsening economic and social crisis."


The legislative elections were held on December 17, and the participation rate reached 11.22% out of 9.2 million voters, according to the Independent High Authority for Elections.

Last Tuesday, the Ennahda Movement announced that a decision had been issued to imprison Ali Al-Arayedh in connection with the issue of "deportation to hotbeds of tension", which is intended to facilitate the exit of Tunisians to Syria to participate in the war within armed organizations.

The head of the Ennahda Movement, Rashid Ghannouchi, and his deputy, Ali Al-Areedh, were subject, along with a number of movement leaders and security leaders, to an investigation in this case.

The movement's leaders have repeatedly denied the accusations leveled against them in the case that began following a complaint filed by a former parliamentarian to the military judiciary, before it was referred to the judicial pole for combating terrorism due to the presence of civilians among the defendants.

Ali Al-Areedh held the position of Minister of Interior in 2011, then headed the government between 2013 and 2014.