Tunisia - April 2023

Opposition groups banned from meeting after arrests of opposition officials

On 17 and 18 April, Tunisian authorities arrested four prominent opposition leaders, including former Speaker of Parliament and co-founder of the Ennahda party, Rached Ghannouchi. They also raided and closed Ennahda’s offices in Tunis and other cities. Ghannouchi’s detention follows a series of media statements in which he claimed Tunisia would be threatened by a “civil war” should political Islam be eradicated in the country. After the arrests, the Ministry of Interior banned Ennahda from holding meetings in the country and banned the opposition group National Salvation Front from holding meetings in Tunis.

According to Tunisian officials, the measures are a matter of state security. The criminal proceedings against these opposition politicians have been conducted under counter-terrorism laws. The opposition arrests have received international condemnation and generated national protests. These events follow a series of arrests earlier this year.

Sources: Reuters, Middle East Eye, Tunis Afrique Presse, Al Jazeera, France 24, International IDEA Democracy Tracker