Tunisia Presidential Candidate Zammel Released from Detention

FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator carries a banner during a protest demanding the implementation of a ruling by the administrative court to reinstate three other prominent candidates in the presidential race, near the headquarters of the Electoral Commission in Tunis, Tunisia September 2, 2024. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui/File Photo

Tunisian presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel was released from police custody on Friday shortly after he was set free from a previous detention then re-arrested over alleged election-related irregularities, the state news agency TAP reported.
Zammel is one of three candidates approved by Tunisia's electoral commission to run in a presidential election on Oct. 6 which opposition critics say is rigged in favor of President Kais Saied.
He was arrested on Monday on suspicion of falsifying voter forms. A judge ordered him set free on Thursday. But two lawyers for Zammel, Abdessatar Massoudi and Dalila Ben Mbarek, said he was arrested again immediately after his release from Borj El Amri prison.
On Friday, he was released again on a judge's orders, TAP said. His case was postponed until Sept. 19, Reuters reported.
Zammel campaign member Mahdi Abdel Jawad described his arrest as a kidnapping.
He is accused of falsifying voter forms for next month's election. Each candidate must submit forms from 10,000 supporters to qualify to stand. He denies the allegation.
Zammel has said he faces restrictions and intimidation because he is a serious competitor to Saied. He has pledged to rebuild democracy, guarantee freedoms and fix Tunisia's collapsing economy.