"
Suspicions of terrorism in the file
" justified the arrest on Friday of the former minister and strongman of the Islamist-inspired party Ennahdha, Noureddine Bhiri, Tunisian Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine said on Monday 3 January evening.
Read also Tunisia: hospitalized, the strong man of Ennahdha refuses food and drugs
"
There were fears of a terrorist act affecting the security of the country, it was necessary to react
", explained the minister, specifying having transmitted "
reports
" to the Ministry of Justice and to the prosecution which "
were delayed
" to take action.
The minister said he then decided to "
quickly apply
" the "
judicial control
" of Noureddine Bhiri, adding that the file characterized by "
serious suspicions
", relates in particular to "
the manufacture and delivery
" of false papers of identity and nationality certificates, among others for the benefit of a Syrian woman.
Hospitalized since Sunday
Taoufik Charfeddine said he "
personally ensured that (Noureddine Bhiri) was treated well
". According to a delegation from the Body for the Prevention of Torture (INPT) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who visited him, Noureddine Bhiri has been hospitalized since Sunday "
under close surveillance in cardiology
" in Bizerte (north), because he suffers from several chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, in particular).
He refuses "
all food and medicine
" and the doctors fear a deterioration in his health. He was "
lucid
" and "
not in critical condition
" when five delegates from the INPT and the High Commission spoke to him, a member of the delegation who took part in the visit told AFP. The Ennahdha party and his wife had said shortly before that Noureddine Bhiri was in "
critical condition
", in "
intensive care
" and that there were "
threats to his life
".
As of Saturday, the INPT and the defense committee of Noureddine Bhiri had denounced his placement in detention in a secret place and the absence of clear reasons for his arrest.
The ministry had only announced two house arrest on Friday, without giving names, citing a "
preventive measure dictated by the need to preserve national security
".
Read also Tunisia: 4 years in prison for ex-president Marzouki, critic of Saied
An informed source from the INPT told AFP on Monday that he had "
no news
" from the other arrested, Fethi Baldi, also a member of Ennahdha.
On Monday, Samir Dilou, lawyer and deputy for Ennahdha, told the press that the arrest of Noureddine Bhiri was "
a political affair and an instrumentalisation of justice
", announcing that he wanted to file a complaint for "
kidnapping
" against President Kais Saied and the Minister of the Interior.
