Libyan economic journalist Ahmed Snoussi, exiled to Holland, recently shared his expulsion experience from Tunisia to Libya last July.
During his visit to the program “Les Podcast de Khalil”, he explained that this expulsion had been ordered by the Libyan government of national unity, led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah, because of his revelations on corruption cases within the Libyan Ministry of Economy and Trade.
Snoussi detailed the circumstances of his expulsion, adding that he had been led outside Tunisia only with his passport, without money or phone. He underlined the climate of anxiety he experienced, explaining that Tunisian authorities had mentioned him a “convention” between the two countries, thus obliging his deportation. “The last Tunisian with whom I exchanged explained to me that he knew that I was a journalist, but that this agreement with Libya left no alternative,” he added.
Upon his arrival in Tripoli, he was welcomed by the Libyan intelligence services. It was only after the intervention of the Libyan prosecutor that he was able to leave the country and join the Netherlands. Throughout his detention, Snoussi said he had been the victim of torture and ill -treatment, especially from the Libyan internal security forces, under the Department of the Interior, under the direction of Emad Trabelsi.
The case drew international attention, arousing strong solidarity, especially on the part of the UN, the European Union and various human rights organizations. Thanks to this mobilization, Snoussi was released before being able to leave Libya.
This episode also rekindled the debate around the question of Libyan personalities sought by justice and having found refuge in Tunisia. A recent press release from the Libyan Attorney General spoke of the flight of a suspect involved in the assassination of Minister Adil Jomaa.
The story of Snoussi is not an isolated case. It recalls other similar situations, such as that of Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi, last Prime Minister of Muammar Gaddafi, extradited to Libya in 2012 under the chairmanship of Moncef Marzouki. This case had also caused a lively debate on the welcome of Libyan personalities sought in Tunisia.
