Ennahdha party leader Rached Ghannouchi arrested in Tunisia

(Patria) - Rached Ghannouchi, one of the main opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied, has been arrested, his Ennahdha party announced late Monday, AFP reported.

Ghannouchi (81), whose party was the largest in parliament before Saied dissolved it in July 2021, was arrested by police at his home in Tunis and taken "to an unknown location," Ennahdha said in a statement. "Ennahdha condemns this extremely serious development and calls for the immediate release of Rached Ghannouchi," the statement added.

The arrest followed media reports in which the detainee allegedly said that Tunisia would face "civil war" if political Islam, from which his party emerged, was eradicated there. Since the beginning of February, authorities in the North African country have arrested more than 20 political opponents and figures. Among them are politicians, former ministers, businessmen, trade unionists, and the owner of Tunisia's most popular radio station, Mosaique FM.

Saied (65) claims that the detainees were "terrorists" involved in a "conspiracy against state security." Local and international human rights groups have criticized the arrests. Ghannouchi was the speaker of the Tunisian parliament before Saied dissolved it and proceeded to assume broad powers through a series of moves that opponents called a "coup." He also appeared in court in late February on terrorism charges after being accused of calling police officers "tyrants." Last November, he was in court over allegations that his party helped jihadists travel to Iraq and Syria. Before that, he was questioned over alleged money laundering related to foreign donations to a charity linked to Ennahdha.

Saied's opponents accuse him of restoring autocratic rule in Tunisia, which was the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East more than a decade ago. Following a dramatic power grab, he has since ruled by decree, and last year he violated the constitution by giving his office unlimited powers. Ghannouchi was in exile for more than two decades under dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, but returned after the 2011 uprising to become a dominant figure in Tunisian politics.