Ghannouchi, who was taken into custody after the security forces raided his house at the time of iftar on April 17, was arrested by the Tunisian Court of First Instance, to which he was transferred yesterday evening, after 48 hours of interrogation by the prosecutor’s office.
Lawyer Habib Bin Sidhum, a member of the Ennahda Movement, said in a statement on his social media account that 11 more people accompanying Ghannouchi were included in the investigation file and that the investigation was within the scope of the “conspiracy against state security” file.
It was decided that the leaders of the Ennahda Movement, Muhammed al-Kumani and Bilkasim Hasan, and 6 other members of the Ennahda Movement, who were detained with Gannuşi, would be tried pending trial by the same court.
Reactions to Ghannouchi’s detention and closing of party buildings
In a written statement from the Ennahda Movement regarding the detention of Ghannouchi, a call was made to the opposition “to stand in a single line against the violations and oppressive practices against the rights and freedoms of opposition politicians”.
The statement condemned the detention of Ghannouchi as a “quite dangerous development” and demanded the immediate release of the Ennahda leader.
The National Liberation Front, the umbrella organization of the Tunisian opposition, also announced on April 19 that the center where they operate and the center of the Ennahda Movement were closed.
In the statement made by the Tunisian Will Party, it was announced that the country authorities closed the headquarters of the party in the capital, Tunisia.
There was no explanation from the official authorities regarding what Ghannouchi was accused of.