Since Erdogan came to power in 2003, Turkey has maintained particularly good relations with parties in the orbit of the Muslim Brotherhood
Turkey on Thursday expressed its “concern” over the arrest of the leader of the Islamist Ennahda party and former president of the Tunisian parliament, Rachid Ghannouchi.
“We believe that this type of action against politicians representing different segments of society does not contribute to social peace in Tunisia,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry note published on Thursday said.
Already on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lamented the arrest of his “brother” Ghannouchi in a television interview and promised to intervene on his behalf with the Tunisian and Algerian authorities.
Turkey thus joins the voices of the European Union and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), which yesterday also protested against the arrest of the elderly Islamist leader, which took place on Monday.
Several members of Ennahda, which was the main parliamentary force during the last legislature, have been detained or under investigation since Tunisian President Kais Saied arrogated full powers to himself in July 2021 and suspended parliament.
More than a dozen party members are in pre-trial detention for alleged corruption and plotting, while others, such as Ghannouchi, are being prosecuted.
Since Erdogan came to power in 2003, Turkey has maintained particularly good relations with parties in the Muslim Brotherhood’s orbit, such as Ennahda in Tunisia.
Source: Atalayar