Tunisia places senior Ennahda leader under house arrest

TUNIS, Tunisia

Tunisian authorities have placed a senior leader of Ennahda movement under house arrest, according to a main opposition bloc.

In a statement, the National Salvation Front said Abdel Karim Harouni, head of the Ennahda’s Shura Council, was ordered to stay under house arrest.

The move came as the Shura Council, the movement’s highest-ranking body, is set to meet on Sunday to prepare for Ennahda congress later this year.

No reason was provided for the decision to place Harouni under house arrest.

The opposition bloc decried the decision as “arbitrary”.

“This decision comes in the context of arresting the leaders of Ennahda movement, closing its offices and threatening its activists,” the Front said.

It termed the move as a “new attack on democracy and freedoms in Tunisia and an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the parties and influence their sovereign decisions."

There was no comment from the Tunisian authorities on the report.

Tunisian authorities have cracked down on opponents since last February, arresting several media figures, activists and politicians, including Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that aggravated the country's economic conditions since President Kais Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament in 2021.

While Saied insists that his measures were meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi