A Tunisian judge had on Friday, July 12, prohibited, Abd Ellatif Mekki, a potential presidential candidate from making appearances in the media and traveling around the country.
He will be the latest politician to face what political pundits have called ‘obstructions to challenging President Kais Saied.’
Mekki’s party have also said that the measures were an attempt to bar a serious candidate from the campaign for elections on October 6.
Opposition parties on the other hand have said that Saied’s administration was expending pressure on the judiciary to ‘hunt’ down the president’s rivals and clear the way for him to win a second term.
At least two political leaders, Abir Moussi and Ghazi Chaouachi, have been jailed since last year and the opposition are saying that these imprisoned politicians must be freed.
Saied’s supporters have denied these claims laid by the opposition politicians, saying that he was being targeted for political reasons.
Just last week, the authorities arrested another candidate, Lotfi Mraihi, on the grounds of money laundering.
The other potential candidates, including Safi Saeed, Mondher Znaidi and Nizar Chaari, are not exempt as they are facing prosecution for purported crimes such as fraud and money laundering.
Saied, who was elected president in 2019, has yet to officially announce his intentions to run for the seat once again but he is expected to do so soon. He had infamously said that he would not hand over power to those he considered non-patriots.
Saied had dissolved his parliament in and began ruling by decree in a move that the opposition have tagged as a coup but Saied said that this was legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption.
Why It Matters
Infringement on human rights is an abhorrent act, irregardless if where and why it is done.
Although the allegations labelled towards President Saied have been unfounded, it is a huge claim that needs to be investigated.
