Issuing a sentence to imprison Ennahda leader and speaker of the dissolved parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, for a period of 3 years, with immediate effect (French)

Tunisia -

The official spokesman for the Ennahda Movement, Imad Al-Khamiri, said that the judicial ruling issued against the movement’s leader, Rashid Ghannouchi, is an unjust political decision targeting the movement and its leaders, denying the charges against Ghannouchi and his party, while the leader of the opposition Salvation Front, Ahmed Najib Al-Chebbi, confirmed that the ruling comes to eradicate the opposition.

The division chamber specialized in corruption cases at the Court of First Instance in Tunisia issued, the day before yesterday, Wednesday, a decision to imprison Ennahdha leader and speaker of the dissolved parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, and his son-in-law, Rafik Abdel Salam, for a period of 3 years, with immediate effect, in the case related to the charge that a political party obtained funding from a foreign party.

This case was raised against Ennahdha, its leader, and his son-in-law some time after President Kais Saied announced the exceptional measures by which he dissolved the previous parliament, dismissed the government and the Supreme Judicial Council, and ruled with broad powers. The movement was accused of signing a contract with an American advertising company to improve its image abroad.

The opposition National Salvation Front called on its supporters to demonstrate on Friday in the capital to demand the release of political detainees and an end to what it considered “unfair trials” (French).

Continue defending

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, the official spokesman for the Ennahda Movement, Imad Al-Khamiri, denied that the movement received any funding from any foreign party. He says that it is one of the few parties in Tunisia whose financial transactions are subject to the supervision of the judiciary and the Court of Accounts, adding that the movement does not have any representation abroad to sign any contracts.

The movement's leader considers that the judicial ruling is "politicized and unjust, and did not meet the minimum conditions for a fair trial." He explained in his interview with Al Jazeera Net that the defense requested that the ruling be postponed until the decision to close the movement’s headquarters was lifted by the security authorities in order to provide all the documents that would acquit Rashid Ghannouchi and his son-in-law.

He says, "The court refused to postpone the ruling, so we consider the trial to be political." When asked whether the movement would appeal the ruling, he stated that the movement “will follow the judicial path to defend its leaders, despite the fact that the judiciary has become controlled by the executive authority after the dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council and the dismissal of 54 judges.”

Al-Khamiri believes that the ruling reflects the will of the executive authority to target those opposed to the coup of July 25, 2021, the date of the president’s announcement of exceptional measures, indicating that the Ennahdha movement will continue to peacefully defend its political existence, its right to party work, and the people’s right to democracy.

Ghannouchi is one of the most prominent leaders of the opposition Salvation Front, which rejects the exceptional measures that President Kais Saied began imposing on July 25, 2021.

Al-Khamiri denounced what he considered to be a divisive and inciting speech by President Kais Saied against the opposition and its symbols, considering that the security and judicial prosecutions launched about a year ago against opponents, some of whom are candidates for the presidential elections supposed to be held this year, are “evidence of their targeting, intimidation, and exclusion.”

Eliminate the opposition

For his part, Ahmed Najib Chebbi, leader of the opposition National Salvation Front (of which the Ennahda Movement is considered one of its most prominent components), said that the judicial ruling issued against Ghannouchi and his son-in-law lacked the minimum conditions for a fair trial, considering that the judiciary had been dismantled and dominated by the executive authority that governs. .

Al-Shabi confirmed to Al-Jazeera Net that what happened is clear evidence of the adoption of an unjust ruling to take revenge on a political opponent, pointing out that security and judicial prosecutions have targeted all the historical leaders of the Islamic Ennahdha Movement, not to mention many political figures who are also opposed to the path of President Kais Saied.

He says, "The issue does not only mean uprooting the Islamic Renaissance Movement, but also the opposition Salvation Front and other opposition political figures, that is, returning to square one before the revolution."

Beginning in February 2023, the security authorities launched a massive campaign to arrest an important number of opposition figures who consider President Kais Saied to have overthrown the constitution. These figures have been in prison for about a year awaiting trial on suspicion of conspiring against state security, while their lawyers deny the existence of evidence against them.

Al-Shabbi believes that the ongoing prosecutions and trials go beyond simply eliminating the president’s opponents from the presidential race - which is supposed to take place this year on a larger scale - they are the exclusion of centrist parties and bodies to monopolize power.

The same speaker also considered that the attack and exclusion of political parties caused a great reluctance of citizens from the past legislative elections and the current local elections.

The opposition National Salvation Front called on its supporters to demonstrate on Friday in the capital to demand the release of political detainees and an end to what it considered "unfair trials."

On the other hand, parties loyal to President Kais Saied and supportive of his political path expressed the judicial ruling issued against the leader of the Ennahda movement and his son-in-law, and some of them considered that these rulings reflect a recovery of the judiciary from the domination that was imposed on it by the Ennahda movement to cover up its crimes, according to Their expression.

The leader of the Ennahda movement was sentenced to 3 years in prison on charges of obtaining funding from a foreign party, the second against him. He was tried on May 15, 2023, to one year in prison and a fine of one thousand dinars ($328) on charges of incitement in what was known as the “tyrants” file.

Ghannouchi (83 years old) is being tried in approximately 9 cases, according to his defense, and the police arrested him after raiding his house on April 17, 2023, on suspicion of conspiring against state security.

Supporters of the Ennahda movement repeatedly protested as part of the marches called for by the Salvation Front in the streets of the capital, Tunis, to demand the release of political prisoners. On the other hand, President Kais Saied reiterated in his speeches his determination to continue his course, blaming those who oppose him today for the deterioration of the situation.

Source: Al Jazeera