Tunis, April 18, (dpa/GNA) – The president of the Tunisian opposition movement Ennahda, Rached Ghannouchi, was arrested late on Monday on charges of incitement, an official in the Interior Ministry told the state-run news agency TAP.
According to the news agency, security personnel searched his home and seized all possible evidence for use in an investigation against him.
An arrest warrant had been issued by the prosecutor’s office at the Judicial Counter Terrorism Division, TAP said.
It added that “he will remain at the disposal of the investigation on incitement charges.”
The Ennahda movement on its official Facebook page, called for the immediate release of Ghannouchi and described the move as a “serious escalation.”
It added that the party leader was taken “to an unknown location.”
The judiciary is investigating two other officials of the Ennahda Movement, Ali Laarayedh, the former prime minister, and Noureddine Bhiri, the former minister of justice, who are in prison, in cases related to terrorism and incitement against state institutions.
The opposition says the charges are fabricated and politically motivated, and accuses President Kais Saied of undermining the foundations of democracy and establishing a system of one-person rule.
Since 2021, Saied has consolidated his power by dissolving the legislature, and calling for early elections. These moves led to a new, significantly weakened representative body. He also held a constitutional referendum, which granted him wider powers.
Tunisia, long seen as the sole democratic success story of the 2010-11 Arab Spring, remains roiled by economic upheaval and high unemployment.
GNA