Amnesty International has called on Tunisian authorities to immediately release 97 members of the opposition Islamist party, Ennahda, who were arrested on 12 and 13 September. The individuals are facing charges of conspiracy against state security and violations of anti-terrorism laws.
The human rights organisation revealed that those detained were interrogated by the anti-terrorism unit and were denied access to legal counsel for 48 hours.
In a statement, Amnesty International said: “Authorities have continued to arbitrarily detain opposition politicians and human rights defenders, sideline presidential candidates, and ignore court rulings to reinstate candidates, while using the criminal justice system to silence peaceful dissent.”
Among those detained are senior figures of Ennahda, including the party’s founder, Rached Ghannouchi, who has been imprisoned for approximately 18 months. The charges against him, including terrorism, incitement, and financial corruption, have been dismissed by Ennahda as “politically motivated and fabricated.”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard stated: “#Tunisia authorities are waging a clear pre-election assault on the pillars of human rights and the rule of law, disregarding the country’s international human rights obligations and undermining justice and fairness.”
Callamard urged the Tunisian government to halt the ongoing human rights violations and ensure the protection of citizens’ rights before, during, and after the upcoming elections.
Tunisia is set to hold presidential elections on 6 October. However, several candidates have been barred from running, which rights groups claim is an attempt by the incumbent President Kais Saied to maintain his hold on power.