Tunisian Judge Investigating Opposition Leader Over Radio Interview

Today, a court will examine Ghazi Chaouachi, the leader of a major opposition party in Tunisia and a vocal opponent of President Kais Saied, regarding a radio appearance in which Chaouachi said Saied was becoming more dictatorial.

On Thursday, a court will examine Ghazi Chaouachi, the leader of a major opposition party in Tunisia and a vocal opponent of President Kais Saied, regarding a radio appearance in which Chaouachi said Saied was becoming more dictatorial.

Former government minister Chaouachi claimed in May on local radio that Saied had rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Najla Bouden, who had been appointed in September 2021.

Later, Bouden denied having quit, and Saied urged that a prosecutor address rumors that, in his opinion, threatened the country’s stability.

A judge called Chaouachi to appear before them on suspicion of upsetting the peace and interfering with the government on Wednesday.

Requests for feedback from Chaouachi did not immediately receive a response.

Tunisian opposition say they are being targeted

A day prior to Chaouachi’s case, Rached Ghannouchi, the head of the Islamist opposition and speaker of the country’s disbanded parliament, was questioned by a judge on allegations of terrorism, according to his party.

Ghannouchi, who was freed after several hours of questioning, denied the accusations and asserted that they were political in nature.

Since taking executive power last year, Saied has consolidated one-man rule. He dismissed the parliament and shifted to rule by decree, which his opponents have dubbed a coup. Through a referendum, he approved a new constitution in July, confirming his increased authority.

He issued a decree last week requiring five-year prison terms for those distributing what he called false material online; this action has been criticized by rights organizations, opposition parties, and the main journalists’ union as undermining free expression.

As Tunisia experiences the most severe social and economic crises, which portends an impending societal disaster, the party issues a warning about Saied’s growing authoritarian tendencies and his obsession with persecuting his opponents.

Saied has denied being a dictator and claims that Tunisians’ rights and freedoms following the 2011 revolution have not been curtailed.