Political parties, civil organizations and human rights associations announced the organization of a march, Saturday, December 6 in Tunis, to denounce “injustice” and defend public freedoms, according to a joint press release published Thursday.
Furthermore, the Al Joumhouri party announced, Thursday, the arrest of Ahmed Néjib Chebbi, president of the National Salvation Front, in execution of the final judgment pronounced against him in the so-called “plot against state security” case.
Reaction from the Al Joumhouri party
In a separate statementAl Joumhouri denounced what he described as a “dangerous moment” for the country, affirming that “Tunisia is experiencing a phase of drifting towards authoritarianism through systematic political arrests”.
The party recalled “the kidnapping of Chaima Issa, then the arrest of lawyer Ayachi Hammami two days ago, before that of Ahmed Néjib Chebbi”, believing that it is “a new attempt to silence the symbols of the national fight and to strike the last ramparts of freedom”.
The signatories of the call for the march, gathered the day before at the headquarters of the Republican Party, affirm that the arrests targeting “politicians, activists, journalists and bloggers” are part of “a campaign aimed at closing public space and silencing critical voices”.
They indicate that they have agreed to “coordinate their actions” and “intensify peaceful mobilizations” in the face of what they describe as the opposition’s “targeting policy”.
The initiative comes as appeal sentences, ranging up to several decades in prison, were recently handed down in the so-called “plot against state security” case.
Also read:
