Tunisian opposition leader Moussi arrested at Presidential Palace gate

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Oct 2023 10:53

The head of Tunisia's Free Destourian Party was reportedly staging a protest at the palace's reception against the electoral date and standards approved by President Kais Saied.

The leader of Tunisia's Free Destourian Party Abir Moussi during a parliamentary session in, Tunis, Tunisia in 2022 (AFP)

Abir Moussi, the head of Tunisia's Free Destourian Party and a prominent opposer of President Kais Saied, was detained by Tunisian officials on Tuesday evening, as reported by her party members on social media.

"Moussi was detained for 48 hours in charges of processing personal data, obstructing the right to work, and assault intended to cause chaos," lawyer Aroussi Zgir said.

The opposition figure was taken into custody outside the entrance of the Carthage presidential palace in the country's capital, where she had been staging a protest following an unsuccessful bid to challenge the president's decision to conduct local elections on December 24 that she argues do not meet standards of the electoral process, the lawyer added.

"What happened was a kidnapping in front of the presidency, and she is being held at the police station," lawyer Nafaa Laribi said as per Reuters.

The Mosaique FM broadcaster reported that Tunisia's prosecutor's office authorized a 48-hour detention of politication.

Moussi is a supporter of late Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, whose regime was ousted after public mass protests in 2011.

In May, a Tunisian court sentenced in Absentia the leader of the Ennahda party, Rached Ghannouchi, to one year in prison on charges of "glorifying terrorism" and describing security personnel as "tyrants".

Tunisian security forces also shut down the headquarters of the Ennahda movement and banned party meetings from taking place there.

Ghannouchi, who served as the country's Parliament Speaker before President Kais Saied dissolved the body and assumed all authority in the country in 2021, was exiled for more than two decades under Ben Ali but returned following the 2011 government takeover.

In April, Saied said that he was launching a campaign against those who want to harm the state.

After his dramatic power grab, he has since ruled by decree, and last year rammed through a constitution that gave his office unlimited powers and neutered parliament.