Former Tunisian Prime Minister and senior Ennahdha leader Ali Larayedh has been arrested in connection with sending Tunisian jihadists to war zones in Syria and Iraq, the Islamist-inspired party announced on Tuesday. calling for his immediate release.
Ali Larayedh, former Minister of the Interior then head of government, between 2011 and early 2014, was heard for several hours at the counter-terrorism judicial center before being imprisoned, according to a party press release.
After the 2011 revolution which brought down the dictator Ben Ali, Tunisia saw a large number of jihadists - between 5 and 6,000 according to international organizations - leave for areas of conflict in the Middle East and in Libya, a neighboring country of Tunisia.
The investigation into the responsibilities of former Tunisian leaders in the transfer of these young jihadists was opened after the coup by President Kais Saied, who seized all powers on July 25, 2021.
By freezing Parliament and dismissing its Prime Minister, the president had denounced blockages in the political system in place and made Ennahdha his pet peeve.
Left-wing parties have accused Ennahdha and its most senior leaders like Ali Larayedh, the party's vice-president, of having facilitated the departure of the jihadists, which the movement, whose leader Rached Ghannouchi is also facing prosecution, denies categorically.
Read alsoIn Tunisia, the Ennahdha party accused of having helped the jihad
In its press release, the party denounced “
the systematic targeting of Ennahdha leaders
” and a “
desperate attempt by the putschist authority and its president Kais Saied to cover up the farce of the legislative elections boycotted by 90% of voters
”.
The first round of this ballot intended to renew the Parliament (dissolved since the beginning of 2022) was marked on Saturday by a historically low participation of 11% of registered voters.
This record abstention is considered a snub for President Saied.
This vote represents the last stage of the construction by Kais Saied of an ultra-presidentialist system where the Parliament will be deprived of real powers, under the terms of a new Constitution adopted this summer.
Called to resign by his main opponents including Ennahdha, Kais Saied played down the low turnout, believing that the real rate is measured "
on both rounds
".
The second round is scheduled for early February with a final result of the ballot on March 3.
