Tunis rejects US statements, meddling in internal affairs
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Tunisia underlines to the United States that it will not accept meddling in its internal affairs in light of inflammatory statements from Washington.
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People take part in a protest against President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 5, 2023 (AP)
The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Tuesday any foreign meddling in Tunis' internal affairs and its judicial system.
Tunis underlined at the same time that the country is ready to continue supporting bilateral ties with the United States within the framework of mutual respect.
The Tunisian statement comes in response to a statement published by the US embassy in Tunis, in which Washington voiced its concern about the arrest campaign being carried out against political figures, calling for a fair and transparent judicial process for everyone.
The embassy, furthermore, welcomed the confirmation by the Tunisian judiciary that foreign diplomats are protected by the law under international conventions, along with assurances of a better atmosphere for diplomats to conduct their work.
RT @StateDept_NEA:
— U.S. Embassy Tunis (@usembassytunis) April 5, 2023
ترحب الولايات المتحدة بتأكيد القضاء التونسي أن الدبلوماسيين الأجانب يتمتعون بالحماية بموجب القانون وفقاً للإتفاقيات الدولية، وترحب كذلك بما صدر من تعهد بتأمين بيئة أفضل للدبلوماسيين للقيام بعملهم. كما نكرر التعبير عما يساورنا من قلق حيال اعتقال شخصيات سياسية… https://t.co/doi1IIWvrU
The widespread arrest campaign carried out by Tunisian President Kais Saied against a number of political figures included officials in the Republican Party, the National Salvation Front, the Democratic Current, and the Ennahda movement.
The arrests come as the opposition accuses President Saied of using the judiciary to eliminate his political opponents.
A Tunisian "anti-terrorism" judge imprisoned in February two famous politicians and a high-profile businessman.
Lawyers of Abdelhamid Jlassi, Khayam Al-Turki, and businessman Kamel Ltaif, critics of Saied, said a decision was reached on Saturday. They went on to say that the three's defense team had boycotted a plea hearing because the conditions for a fair trial had not been fulfilled.
All three were detained as part of a security crackdown that included raids and arrests of opposition politicians, activists, protest organizers, a media figure, judges, and an important businessman.
Leader of the opposition Ennahdha party and the speaker of the elected parliament that Saied officially dissolved last year, Rached Ghannouchi, was also called in for questioning.
Saied stated earlier that those detained had engaged in "conspiracy against internal and external state security," without naming any of the people.
January saw thousands of people demonstrating, demanding that President Saied leave office amid ongoing political and economic instability.
Demonstrators chanted slogans as National Salvation Front (NSF) Chairman Ahmed Najib Chebbi urged the people to put an end to the "coup" he claimed to have been staged by Saied, according to an Anadolu reporter.
It is worth noting that NSF, the Tunisian opposition, had organized the protest on the 12th anniversary of the so-called "Arab Spring" in 2011 which resulted in the ousting of former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
