Detained Justice Minister of Tunisia is Suspected of Terrorism
The detained Ex-justice minister of Tunisia, Noureddine Bhiri, of the Islamist-inspired Ennahda party, is suspected of terrorism. The statement came from the interior minister of Tunisia on Monday. President Kais Saied used to see Bhiri as enemy plainclothes officers arrested Bhiri on Friday, and the whereabouts of the event was initially unknown.
A Detailed Look
Bhiri was the deputy president of Ennahda – the party that played a primary role in Tunisian politics before President Kais Saied grabbed power. The only democracy that emerged from the decade-old Arab Spring revolts was Tunisia. However, Saied’s opponents and several civil society groups had a fear of a bounce back to authoritarianism.
The fear was derived a decade after the revolution, which capsized longtime dictator Zine El Abedin Ben Ali. According to Tunisian Interior Minister Taufik Charfeddine “there were fears of acts of terrorism targeting the country’s security and we had to act.”
Activists and a former Ennahda legislator revealed on Sunday that Bhiri’s condition is critical and his life is at stake. They also told AFP that Bhiri is refusing to take food or medication in the hospital. However, as per the sources, Bhiri is not facing any life and death conditions for the time being.
The source requested not to reveal its name. It also said that the United Nations and Tunisia’s Anti-Torture Group (INPT) formed a team that visited Bhiri at a hospital, which is located in the northern town of Bizerte on Sunday.
It’s being said that Bhiri is “lively and lucid,” and he is under strict observation in a private cabin of the said hospital’s cardiology department. However, Bhiri has been refusing medication and food since Friday, and he was prompting his transfer to the hospital.
An ex Enahdha MP, Samir Dilou, who is also a lawyer, labeled Bhiri’s arrest as a political one, and he is claiming the event as a shameful abuse of the Tunisian justice system. In a news conference, he said he would lodge a kidnapping charge against Kais Saied and Charfeddine.
Charfeddine revealed late Monday that the department had sent all the shreds of evidence related to Bhiri’s activities to the justice ministry. However, the prosecution delayed action on the matter.
Charfeddine also revealed that this delay had poked him to quickly apply for judicial control over Bhiri as he is suspected of faking identity papers of many, including a Syrian lady. The interior minister has also declared that he has personally verified the fact that Bhiri is being treated well.
More from Bhiri’s Admirers
Saida Akremi, Bhiri’s wife, and lawyer informed reporters that Bhiri has recently experienced a heart attack and his condition is not well. She is not able to meet Bhiri as she didn’t sign the documents that the security services demanded.
A doctor and a member of the executive bureau of Ennahda, Mondher Oynissi, revealed on Sunday that Bhiri has several chronic diseases, and the list includes hypertension and diabetes. Oynissi claimed that Bhiri is being deprived of regular medication, which may turn out to be life-threatening for him. It’s worth mentioning here that, as per Oynissi, Bhiri takes 16 pills a day. Oynissi revealed these facts about Bhiri at a news conference.
The Ennahda party denounced this arrest as a “dangerous precedent.” The interior ministry of Tunisia said on Friday that two individuals were ordered to be house arrested without recognizing them. The aforementioned Anti-torture Group, INPT, has recognized the second person whom the cops have taken into custody as Fathi Baldi – he was a Home office employee.
The Anti-Saied group tweeted on Sunday that Kais will have to take full responsibility for Noureddine Bhiri’s life. On the other hand, the interior minister, Charfeddine came up with the acquisition that the public prosecutor has confirmed Bhiri was involved in suspected terrorism-related activities. In alignment with the law 26 of the year 2015, dated August 7, 2015, relating to the war against terrorism and money laundering; he has to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the security of Tunisia.
Noureddine Bhiri – A Quick Look Through
Noureddine Bhiri was born in 1958 and served in Tunisia as the Minister of Justice under Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali. He earned his master’s degree in law and political science at Tunish University. In 1977, Bhiri became a part of the Ennahda movement. An ex-President of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, jailed him; however, he was freed and started working as a lawyer in Tunis.
He earned fame by writing an article for the Nawaat where he provided a detailed criticism of the Israeli-American policy for Palestine. After the disposal of former President Ben Ali, he became a part of the Jebali Cabinet as minister of defense.
After the victory of Ennahda in the Constituent Assembly of October 23, 2011, he got elected in the constituency of Ben Arous and became the minister of justice of Tunisia. On May 9, 2012, he resigned from his constituent seat.
After Chokri Belaid’s assassination on 6th February 2013, the Jebali failed, and Bhiri listed his name as a candidate to replace Jebali as the government head. However, Bhiri was not reappointed as Enahdha chose Ali Larayedh, for forming the next government. In 2014, Bhiri was elected to the assembly of people’s representatives.
Now, the reaction against the arrest of Bhiri in the Tunisian population is mixed. While his followers and Enahdha people are not at all ready to accept the fact that Bhiri can hurt the nation’s security, Charfeddine enthusiasts are looking forward to the verdict.
Will Bhiri’s name be written in the list of traitors in the political history of Tunisia, or will it is the Saied government accused of arresting an innocent? – Only time can reveal the correct answer!
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