The United States denounced Thursday, March 2
"the escalation"
in Tunisia in the grip of a wave of arrests of opponents and expressed concern about reports of criminal proceedings initiated against people who had contact with the American Embassy in Tunis.
"We are concerned about reports that criminal charges have been brought against individuals in Tunisia, apparently resulting from their meetings or conversations with members of the United States Embassy," the Department of Defense spokesperson said
. State, Ned Price.
"This is part, as I have already said, of an escalation in the arrests of people perceived as being critical of the
Tunisian government," he added to the press.
He refused to identify the persons concerned or to detail the circumstances surrounding these contacts, but justified them by stressing that
"all our embassies, and
our diplomats throughout the world"
go to meet various personalities in all countries. .
On Tuesday, the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement calling on foreign embassies in the country
"not to interfere in its internal affairs"
, following reports of meetings that recently arrested personalities allegedly had with Western diplomats.
Twenty personalities have been arrested in Tunisia since the beginning of February during a dragnet denounced by the opposition as an attempt to muzzle it, on the orders of President Kaïs Saïed who has concentrated all the powers since July 2021.