Tunisia’s Ennahda Accused of Concealing Evidence Tied to Political Assassinations

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party, attends the parliament's opening with a session to elect a speaker, in Tunis, Tunisia November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Rached Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party, attends the parliament's opening with a session to elect a speaker, in Tunis, Tunisia November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
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Tunisia’s Ennahda Accused of Concealing Evidence Tied to Political Assassinations

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party, attends the parliament's opening with a session to elect a speaker, in Tunis, Tunisia November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Rached Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party, attends the parliament's opening with a session to elect a speaker, in Tunis, Tunisia November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

The involvement of Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda Movement in political assassinations that rocked the North African country resurfaced with accusations that the party had concealed evidence linked to the murders.

The defense lawyers of opposition figures Mohamed Brahmi and Chokri Belaid said that investigations proved that Ennahda’s secret apparatus was behind the political assassinations which took place in 2013.

A committee, made up of lawyers, directed a wave of new accusations against Ennahda’s leadership for plotting the assassinations. It confirmed that there is a direct link between the movement’s secret apparatus, the assassinations, and the movement’s leadership.

In a press conference held in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, and marking the seventh anniversary of the murders, the committee held Ennahda’s secret apparatus responsible for violence in the country after Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s regime was overthrown in 2011.

The case of Ennahda’s secret apparatus exploded in 2018 when the committee exposed documents and evidence connecting Ennahda to a parallel security state apparatus involved in political assassinations, espionage, and violating state institutions.

Member of the committee Anwar al-Basiti, on Thursday, revealed that evidence points to the direct involvement of Ennahda’s secret apparatus.

Iman Qazaza, another committee member, confirmed that Ennahda’s secret apparatus was also involved in concealing evidence, some of which are tied to the terrorist Abu Bakir al-Hakim.

Qazaza revealed that a connection was found between Mustapha Kheder, considered the head of Ennahda’s secret apparatus, and the president of the movement, Rached Ghannouchi via his cell phone and through a person called Kamel Badaoui.

Qazaza said that Badaoui is extremely close to Ghannouchi and belongs to the 1991 security group. He exercises secret and security functions and he was called to the rescue by Kheder on December 19, 2013, the date of his arrest.

Qazaza added that the Attorney General Bachir Akremi had used every ploy to protect Ghannouchi and some of his close associates and he did not send the file to court.



Arab League to Convene Emergency Meeting to Address Israeli Threats Against Iraq

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
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Arab League to Convene Emergency Meeting to Address Israeli Threats Against Iraq

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)

The permanent delegates to the Arab League will convene an extraordinary session on Sunday, chaired by Yemen, in response to a request from Iraq.

Arab League Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Hossam Zaki said on Saturday that the meeting will focus on a memo from the UN Security Council president, which contains the Israeli occupation's claims of increased attacks from Iraqi territory since September, SPA reported.

"The General Secretariat of the Arab League received Iraq's request to hold an extraordinary session of the Arab League Council.”

“The request was circulated among member states for consultation, and it was agreed to hold the meeting tomorrow at the General Secretariat," Zaki said, adding that several Arab countries have expressed support for Iraq's initiative.