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Tunisian Opposition Leader Abeer Moussi Faces Serious Charges

Opposition leader Abir Moussi (dpa)
Opposition leader Abir Moussi (dpa)
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Tunisian Opposition Leader Abeer Moussi Faces Serious Charges

Opposition leader Abir Moussi (dpa)
Opposition leader Abir Moussi (dpa)

Tunisian police have detained leader of the opposition Free Destourian Party (PDL) Abeer Moussi for processing personal data, obstructing the right to work, and assault intended to cause chaos, announced lawyer Aroussi Zgir.

Zgir stated Tuesday that assault intended to cause chaos is a serious charge with severe punishment. Under the legal procedures, Moussi will be initially questioned by an investigating judge.

Moussi, a prominent opponent of President Kais Saied, is expected to be brought to court within 48 hours, and an investigation will be opened into her case.

She will also have the chance to present her case in the presence of her fellow lawyers from the Lawyers Association.

PDL member Karim Krifa said that Moussi was moved to a hospital in Bou-Choucha after her health deteriorated.

Krifa mentioned that he had attempted to deliver medication to her at the detention center, but security services rejected the move.

Party leaders have requested the Public Prosecutor to compel the security officials at the barracks to accept the medication offer.

The Free Destourian Party strongly condemned the "serious and arbitrary violations" following the arrest of its leader.

The party demanded her immediate release and denounced the President's control over administrative institutions, undermining the principle of equality among citizens before public facilities and obstructing legal actions.

They also warned against any attempts to fabricate legal reasons to prevent Moussi from participating in the presidential elections.

A few days ago, Moussi announced she was preparing to run in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for the end of 2024.

Immediately after her arrest, Moussi's lawyer Nafaa Laribi claimed she had been "unlawfully detained."

Laribi reported that Moussi had been at the Presidential Palace in Carthage to file a grievance but was then taken to the La Goulette police station, where she was detained.

A Moussi aide said in a video on Facebook that she was "kidnapped" while outside the Carthage Palace.

In front of the police station, dozens of angry Moussi supporters protested, shouting slogans against Saied amid a heavy presence by police that cordoned off the building.

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Iraqi Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Hasn't Requested Transfer of Leadership to Baghdad

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad, June 6, 2024. (Government media)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad, June 6, 2024. (Government media)
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Iraqi Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Hasn't Requested Transfer of Leadership to Baghdad

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad, June 6, 2024. (Government media)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani welcomes his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Mustafa in Baghdad, June 6, 2024. (Government media)

The Iraqi government dismissed on Tuesday local and Western media reports saying the leadership of the Palestinian Hamas movement was planning on leaving Qatar and relocating to Iraq.

The reports said Hamas’ decision follows weeks of pressure from Qatar to accept a Gaza ceasefire proposal.

“Hamas offices will not be opened in Baghdad as the media reports claimed. We have not received a request for the transfer of Hamas leaders or the opening of an official office in Iraq,” the political advisor to the Prime Minister, Fadi Al-Shammari, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.

A source close to the government told Asharq Al-Awsat that the relocation of Hamas leaders Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniyeh to Baghdad is highly unlikely.

“Hamas has not asked the Iraqi government to open an office or move their headquarters to Baghdad,” he stressed, dismissing as “baseless” reports about the issue.

Western media had said the Iraqi government had approved the move last month following discussions between Haniyeh and representatives from the Iraqi and Iranian governments.

They said the potential move was also reviewed separately last month by Haniyeh and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.

The United States’ The National quoted a senior Iraqi MP as saying: “There is no consensus among Iraqi political groups on Hamas’ move to Baghdad. Some, especially the Kurds and some Sunnis, fear it will deepen differences with the United States.”

Meanwhile, Iraqi media outlets said Hamas this month opened a PR and media office in Baghdad with official government approval.

The Iraqi “Kataib al Imam Ali” faction, led by Shibl al-Zaidi, who is on the US sanctions list, revealed that some of its members attended an official opening ceremony of a Hamas political office in Baghdad.

Ambiguous file

Despite the official Iraqi government denial, Iraqi MP Sajjad Salem said the transfer of Hamas’ leadership remains a “vague and mysterious” issue.

“A lot has been said of the issue behind the political scenes, but most of it is inaccurate and unclear,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Iraq has no problem with receiving Palestinian refugees, whether politicians or ordinary citizens, given their severe suffering Gaza and since Iraq is a signatory to international agreements related to refugees. However, we are not ready to drag Iraq to a problem that is too great for it to handle,” Salem added.

He stressed that Baghdad is willing to help the Palestinians, but warned that “outlaw groups may view Hamas’ relocation as a clear violation of government powers.”

“Iraq does not need to insert itself in the war of the axes or in regional and international conflicts that do not serve its national interests,” Salem said.

Furthermore, he ruled out the possibility of Hamas leaders moving to Iraq given the unstable security situation and the religious and sectarian considerations and sensitivities existing in the country.