Amnesty International Urges Tunisia to Release 97 Ennahda Members

Ennahda leader Rached al-Ghannouchi. (dpa)
Ennahda leader Rached al-Ghannouchi. (dpa)
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Amnesty International Urges Tunisia to Release 97 Ennahda Members

Ennahda leader Rached al-Ghannouchi. (dpa)
Ennahda leader Rached al-Ghannouchi. (dpa)

Amnesty International urged on Tuesday Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release 97 members of opposition group Ennahda arrested between September 12 and 13.

“Those detained were denied access to their lawyers for 48 hours and were brought before the anti-terrorism brigade for questioning. They are being investigated for conspiracy charges and other charges under the counter-terrorism law,” the organization said in a statement.

Tunisian authorities did not explain why the detainees were arrested or the crimes attributed to them.

Ennahda’s top leaders, including its founder Rached al-Ghannouchi, have been in prison for nearly 18 months on charges related to terrorism, incitement against police and plotting against state security.

The party describes the cases against them as “unfounded and politically motivated.”

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General said: “Tunisian authorities are waging a clear pre-election assault on the pillars of human rights and the rule of law, failing to uphold the country’s international human rights obligations and undermining the fundamental principles of justice and fairness.”

“They must end this egregious backslide on human rights and ensure respect for the rights of everyone in the country before, during and after the forthcoming elections,” she demanded.

Tunisia is preparing for presidential elections amid growing political tension particularly after the electoral commission earlier this month rejected a court’s decision to restore the candidacy of three candidates ahead of the Oct. 6 race, citing alleged irregularities in their candidacy filings.

The head of the commission Farouk Bouasker said the commission is the body responsible for managing the elections, including overseeing the performance of the media, a statement that opened the door to legal debate over its authority.

Amnesty said: “Tunisian authorities must allow media and civil society organizations to freely carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisal and end all interference in the judiciary.”

Last month, Human Rights Watch accused President Kais Saied of “burying” what remains of Tunisia’s democracy with this election.

“Tunisian authorities should urgently end politically motivated prosecutions and allow for free and fair elections,” it said.



Members of UK Jewish Group Say Can't 'Turn Blind Eye' to Gaza War

Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
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Members of UK Jewish Group Say Can't 'Turn Blind Eye' to Gaza War

Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP
Children gather near a destroyed makeshift shelter following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia - AFP

Members of the largest organization representing British Jews have said they can no longer "turn a blind eye" to the war in Gaza, adding "Israel's soul is being ripped out".

In a major break with the Board of Deputies of British Jews' policy of supporting the Israeli leadership, 36 of its members criticized the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Gaza in an open letter published in the Financial Times.

"The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out," said the letter, signed by around one in eight members of the Board of Deputies, AFP reported.

"We cannot turn a blind eye or remain silent" about the loss of life since a two-month truce collapsed on March 18, as negotiations over the return of Israeli hostages broke down, the letter added.

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

"Israel's soul is being ripped out and we, members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and have such close ties to," added the letter.

The signatories accused the "most extremist of Israeli governments" of "openly encouraging violence against Palestinians in the West Bank."

"We stand against the war. We acknowledge and mourn the loss of Palestinian life," they added.

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies told the Guardian that other members would "no doubt put more emphasis on the fundamental responsibility of Hamas for this ghastly situation."

At least 1,691 Palestinians have been killed since the resumption of the Israeli offensive, bringing the death toll in Gaza since the start of the war to 51,065, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry.