European powers must stand by pro-democracy Tunisians resisting a fierce onslaught designed to take the country back to the darkest days of dictatorship, a letter from more than 70 academics has urged.
The letter, designed to shine a light on the Tunisian crackdown, was in part collated by Soumaya Ghannoushi, whose father, the Tunisian opposition leader, Rached Ghannouchi, was sentenced to a year in jail on Monday.
The case that resulted in Ghannouchi’s sentencing is likely to be one of several charges brought against him, and his daughter called on European leaders to be less timid in their denunciation of the loss of Tunisia’s hard-won freedoms.
The letter says that opposition leaders “are facing a wide campaign of arbitrary arrests, politically motivated charges, demonisation and threats. All believers in the shared values of freedom and democracy around the world must stand by them in their struggle for freedom”.
Ghannoushi, 81, the head of the Ennahda Movement and democratically elected as speaker of the now dissolved parliament, was arrested by nearly 100 officers at his home on 17 April, joining the dozens of opposition leaders in jail.
Academics from the US and Europe, including Middle East expert François Burgat, Islamic scholar John Esposito and renowned linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, claim the charges against him and other opposition leaders are a desperate attempt to eliminate all opposition and distract attention from the deepening political, economic and social crises in the country.
The letter says Ghannouchi “is recognised as one of the most prominent advocates of democracy in the Arab world. He has been one of the most consistent voices of moderation and condemnation of extremism. His consensus-building approach and consistent calls for dialogue and unity across political, intellectual and ideological lines are needed in Tunisia, the wider region and beyond more than ever. The loss of such voices and of democracy in Tunisia would be a tragic loss far beyond the country’s borders.”
A court on Monday sentenced Ghannouchi to a year in prison for allegedly referring to police officers as tyrants in what his party said amounted to a sham trial in which evidence was doctored. A European Union delegation visited Tunisia last week, but so far no sanctions have been imposed on the country.
Soumaya Ghannoush, who is based in London, told the Guardian that Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, seemed determined to dismantle the state. “Before we had a one-party rule. Now, it’s a one-man rule. He doesn’t believe in political parties in any form of any organised body really. The country is on the verge of bankruptcy and on its knees,” she said.
The EU is caught in a dilemma of seeking to avoid the collapse of Tunisia’s economy, fearing that further economic turmoil will only lead to an increase in people leaving the country for Italy.
The north African country had sought $4bn (£3bn) in funding from the IMF and reached a staff-level agreement with the fund in October 2022 for a new 48-month extended fund facility worth about $1.9bn to support the government’s programme for economic change. However, it has yet to secure funding from the international lender pending implementation of the actions required.
