Politician Ayachi Hammami latest arrest in Tunisia opposition crackdown

Tunisia absorption says charges are fabricated, arsenic constabulary enforce a five-year situation sentence.

Police successful Tunisia person arrested salient absorption fig Ayachi Hammami astatine his location to enforce a five-year situation condemnation aft an appeals tribunal upheld convictions against dozens of the administration’s governmental opponents connected charges of conspiracy against authorities security.

The tribunal past week confirmed jailhouse presumption ranging from 4 to 45 years for absorption leaders, concern figures and lawyers accused of plotting to overthrow President Kais Saied, who has conducted a crackdown connected absorption figures for years.

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“If you are seeing this video, I person been arrested,” Hammami, who served arsenic curate of quality rights successful 2020, said successful a video posted by his household connected his Facebook leafage connected Tuesday.

“I person spent years warring for democracy, freedom, rights. I volition crook my compartment into a caller beforehand of struggle,” helium said, adding that helium planned to spell connected hunger strike.

His apprehension follows that of chap absorption fig Chaima Issa, detained past week astatine a protestation successful Tunis to enforce a 20-year situation condemnation successful the aforesaid case.

The sweeping prosecution has targeted astir 40 people, including erstwhile officials and the erstwhile caput of intelligence, Kamel Guizani.

Opposition members accidental the charges against them – including attempting to destabilise the state and topple the authorities – are fabricated and designed to destruct dissent done the judiciary, adding that the measures are a people of the country’s deepening authoritarianism.

Police are wide expected to apprehension Najib Chebbi, who heads the National Salvation Front, the main conjugation challenging Saied, and who received a 12-year situation sentence.

Twenty of those charged person fled overseas and were sentenced successful absentia, successful what analysts picture arsenic 1 of the largest governmental prosecutions successful Tunisia’s caller history.

Saied insists helium does not interfere successful the judiciary, but erstwhile the lawsuit was launched successful 2023, helium said judges who acquitted the accused would beryllium considered accomplices.

Rights groups person condemned the convictions. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called for the contiguous annulment of the sentences, saying they were politically motivated.

Responding to the Tunis Court of Appeal’s determination to uphold the convictions connected November 28, Amnesty’s Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director, Sara Hashash, said: “The determination by the Tunis Court of Appeal to uphold the unjust convictions successful the alleged ‘conspiracy case’ is an appalling indictment of the Tunisian justness strategy … the Appeals Court has deliberately ignored the litany of just proceedings violations that person plagued this sham lawsuit from time one.”

Saied suspended parliament successful what opponents picture arsenic a “coup” successful July 2021, aboriginal ruling by decree. Many of those powers were incorporated into a caller constitution ratified successful a wide boycotted 2022 referendum, portion media figures, activists and lawyers captious of Saied person been detained nether a “fake news” instrumentality passed the aforesaid year.

Saied has shown nary motion of letting up successful his crackdown connected the opposition, which has seen salient politicians from crossed the governmental spectrum imprisoned.

They see Jawhar Ben Mbarek, the cofounder of the country’s main absorption alliance; Issam Chebbi, the person of the centrist Al Joumhouri party; Rached Ghannouchi, the person of the Ennahda Party and the parliament’s erstwhile speaker; erstwhile Prime Minister Ali Larayedh; and Abir Moussi, the caput of the Free Constitutional Party.