Tunisian police arrest prominent political activists and influential businessman

The Tunisian police have detained two key political activists and an influential businessman Kamel Eltaief who was once a confidant of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, said lawyers, on Saturday (February 11). According to local media reports, the arrests were made on the suspicion of conspiracy against state security. The 68-year-old businessman was detained from his house in the capital Tunis, said lawyer Nizar Ayed, without giving any further details about the case.

The police also detained Abdelhamid Jelassi, a former senior official in the Ennahda Islamist party, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied for “suspicion of a plot against state security”, as per local media reports. A political activist and former finance ministerKhayam Turki was also arrested. The Ennahda Islamist party is the biggest in the opposition and said that Turki’s arrest was a way to intimidate the president's opponents, reported Reuters.

The Tunisian president has also been accused of a coup aimed at dismantling the democracy built after the 2011 revolution by his political rivals who have since been deemed as traitors by Saied. Notably, as per media reports, neither Turki nor Eltaief have been prominent critics of the president. Turki was arrested in an early morning raid, said his lawyer Abdelaziz Essid, adding that he was not known to be wanted by authorities.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

“He was taken to an unknown destination”, said Essid. Meanwhile, The Salvation Front, the main opposition coalition against Saied, has since condemned Turki’s arrest and said that police had previously repeatedly questioned him for meeting with opposition figures at his home. Reports suggest that in the past couple of months, authorities have either arrested or opened investigations against many political opponents of the incumbent president.

Notably, the country has seen a spike in arrests and prosecutionof politicians, journalists, and others since the incumbent president came to power while rights groups have also raised concerns about political freedoms in Tunisia. This comes after Saied claimed wide-ranging powers in a dramatic move against the North African nation's parliament two years ago.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.