Contents
Summary
Act now and write to your foreign ministry in support of popular Muslim political prisoners who have been arrested in Tunisia.
Background
In Tunisia, President Kais Saied has committed mass arrests against his political opponents, whilst using the threat of arrest to intimidate the judges into keeping prisoners incarcerated without evidence.
We have provided a short analysis of two prisoners for whom we are campaigning below.
Rached Ghannouchi, 81, was arrested on 17th April 2023 on charges of incitement against state authorities. 100 policemen raided his house during iftar without showing a warrant. The main accusation came after Ghannouchi had said at a funeral for a fellow Ennahda member, that the deceased: “did not fear a ruler or tyrant”. The police claimed that this comment was inciting Tunisians to kill each other. He has been questioned in relation to 19 different investigations. The crimes he is currently accused of can be punishable by execution. On 1st February 2024 he was sentenced to three years for allegedly accepting money from foreign sources, a claim he denies.
Said Ferjani was first arrested in 1987, during the rule of Ben Ali, and on February 27th, 2023, was once again imprisoned. This time he was accused of being involved with a media company called “instalingo”, and despite the judge admitting that there was no evidence to support the fact, under pressure from the regime he was sent to prison until evidence was found. He is still imprisoned over a year later, despite finding no evidence. For the first ten months of his jailing, he shared a cell with 120 other prisoners, many of whom had mental health issues which manifested in violent ways, he has witnessed a prisoner having his eye gouged out by a fellow prisoner, and another eating his own flesh. Ferjani went on hunger strike in protest of his imprisonment, where he is being kept in an overcrowded cell, shared with over 100 people. Doctors have advised him to end his hunger strike after he was admitted to hospital.
Requested Action
We are requesting that you write to your ministry of foreign affairs, to demand that they pressure these regimes to release these prisoners. (Template letter below)
Stay up to date with our Tunisia Campaign here
Model Letter
Dear [INSERT NAME],
Re: Said Ferjani and Rached Ghannouchi
I am sure that you are aware of the situation in Tunisia, in which President Kais Saied has clamped down on all peaceful opposition. Many opposition activists are arrested without any evidence of crimes being committed, and Saied has even created laws specifically to target them. Two prominent popular opposition activists are among the victims of this vicious witch hunt. 81-year-old Rached Ghannouchi and Said Ferjani.
Ghannouchi was arrested on charges of incitement against state authorities, when 100 policemen raided his house during iftar without showing a warrant. The main accusation came after Ghannouchi had said at a funeral for a fellow Ennahda member, that the deceased: “did not fear a ruler or tyrant”. He has since been questioned in relation to 19 different investigations. The crimes he is currently accused of can be punishable by execution.
Ferjani has been accused of links to the media channel Instalingo, deemed illegal by the Tunisian regime, with the court admitting to there being no evidence to support this claim. Despite this he was put in prison until they collect evidence and now over a year later, despite them still having found no evidence, he has not been released. This is very obviously a political charge, used to silence any opposition to the regime of Saied.
The imprisonment of both these influential opposition figures, is disgraceful, and just another aspect of a country which is rapidly regressing back into a dictatorship. Our government must take a strong stand against this and make clear that we stand with the rights of the Tunisian people.
Yours sincerely,
[If posting, your signature]
[Your name]
Addresses
Australia,
Penny Wong
RG Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221 Australia
Alternatively, you can contact her on this link
Canada,
The Honourable Melany Joly
Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada
K1A 0A6
Alternatively, you can email her at melanie.joly@parl.gc.ca
Denmark:
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Asiatisk Plads 2
DK-1448
Copenhagen
CVR nr. 43271911
Alternatively, you can email him at udenrigsministeren@um.dk
Indonesia:
Retno L. P. Marsudi,
Taman Pejambon no. 6,
Central Jakarta,
10110
Indonesia
Alternatively email: kontak-kami@kemlu.go.id
Malaysia:
Mohamad Hasan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia
Wisma Putra Complex
No. 1, Jalan Wisma Putra
Precinct 2,
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62602 Putrajaya
Malaysia
Alternatively email: pro.ukk@kln.gov.my
Qatar:
His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani
Al Mirqab Tower
West Bay
Doha
Qatar
Alternatively, you can contact him on this link
The Seychelles:
Louis Sylvestre Radegonde
P.O. Box 656
Maison Quéau de Quinssy
Mont Fleuri,
Mahé,
Seychelles
Alternatively, you can email him at ps@mfa.gov.sc
Turkey:
Hakan Fidan
Dr. Sadık Ahmet Cad.
No:8
Balgat/ANKARA
Postal Code:0610
Alternatively, you can contact him on this link
United Kingdom:
Rt. Hon David Lammy
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom
Alternatively, you can email her at fcocorrespondence@fco.gov.uk
United States:
Antony Blinken
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington,
DC 20500
Alternatively, you can contact him on this link
