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Tunisian troops place top judge under house arrest

The move against Akremi came ater Saied pledged to lead a campaign against grat in all sectors, following his dismissal this week of the PM and freezing of the parliament

A Tunisian judge who has been accused by human rights groups of hiding terrorism-related files has been placed under house arrest for 40 days, local radio and a security source said on Saturday.

The move against Judge Bechir Akremi came ater President Kais Saied pledged to lead a campaign against corruption in all sectors, following his dismissal this week of the prime minister and freezing of parliament.

Rightactivistsintunisiaseeakremiassymbolising corruption in the judiciary, saying he is close to the Ennahda party, the biggest party in parliament.

Lawyers and secular parties said files he allegedly hid include those related to the assassination of two secular leaders Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi in 2013, which led to massive protests at the time that ended with the overthrow of the government.

Akremi has not commented on these accusations and was not immediately available to comment on Saturday.

Ennahda rejects accusations that it has ties to the judge or that it has interfered in judicial files.

Tunisia has been thrust into a political crisis by

Saied’s action on Sunday.

Ennahda and other major parties have accused the president of a coup, which he denies.

Saied on Saturday called on banks to reduce interest rates, saying the measure was needed because social and economic conditions in the country were very bad.

On Friday, security forces raided the home of a member of parliament — a long-standing critic of Saied and the army — arresting him in front of family members, his wife said.

Yassin Ayari, who represents a small party in parliament, has frequently expressed criticism of Saied and the army, notably on his Facebook page.

Ayari’s wife, Cyrine Fitouri, said by phone that around 20 men in plain clothes, who presented themselves as members of a presidential security unit, raided their home in the early aternoon on Friday and used violence as they detained him.

Neither the security forces nor representatives of the judiciary were immediately available for comment on his arrest.

“They took him forcefully while his mother was shouting,” Fitouri said, adding that the security agents told his family not to film Ayari’s arrest.

Ayari was sentenced in 2018 to three months in prison by a military court for defaming the army and was previously imprisoned for four months in 2015 on the same charge.

Tunisia is investigating supporters of Ennahda that accused the president of a coup ater they were involved in scuffles outside parliament while protesting against him, TAP news agency reported on Friday.

Ennahda, the biggest party in parliament, held a sit-in outside the building early on Monday ater it was surrounded by the army.

Hundreds of supporters of Ennahda and Saied confronted each other, with some throwing stones or botles.

Among those under investigation for “atempting to commit acts of violence” are a member of an important party council, a former bodyguard of the party leader Rached Ghannouchi, who is Parliament Speaker, and an honorary member of his staff.

No investigations have yet been announced into supporters of Saied who were also present.

“The ball is now in the people’s court,” said Egyptian activist El Ghazaly Harb in a Facebook post.

“They are able to correct the path without abandoning the peaceful democratic model that we all hope they can see to the end,” he said. “The answer will always be Tunisia.”

“Coups are not only started by the military; they can be started by a civilian and completed by officers,” said Shady Lewis Boutros, an Egyptian novelist and writer who lives in the UK, in a Facebook post.

On Tuesday, the EU’S top diplomat called for Tunisia’s constitutional order to be restored, without directly apportioning any blame.

The US government also is watching closely. In addition to supporting its democracy, the US has helped fund Tunisia’s efforts to tamp down violent extremism.

Just hours ater Saied’s announcement, he spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who urged him to “adhere to the principles of democracy and human rights” and “maintain open dialogue with all political actors and the Tunisian people.”

Middle East

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2021-08-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-08-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://daralkhaleej.pressreader.com/article/281616718410181

Dar AlKhaleej