Second investigation with the leader of the Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood in a week. Is the end near?
In one week, the leader of the Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood has twice been brought to court on charges of terrorism and bloodshed, reflecting a bloody history that has dovetailed with the man throughout his life.
Ennahdha leader Rached Ghannouchi was standing in front of the National Guard’s counter-terrorism forces in Aouina, on the outskirts of the Tunisian capital, on Thursday, to hear from him about a recorded video of a conversation he had with members of the terrorist group Ansar al-Sharia.
Ansar al-Sharia is a banned organization in Tunisia implicated in the 2013 assassination of leftist leaders Chokri Belaid and nationalist Mohamed Brahmi.
The judicial authorities had scheduled an earlier hearing to hear Ghannouchi’s testimony in the same case, but he allegedly missed the hearing on “health” grounds.
The defense committee for Chokri Belaid and Brahmi links Ansar al-Sharia to Ennahda and asserts that the Brotherhood was involved in both murders.
Abdennasser Aouini, a Tunisian lawyer and member of Chokri Belaid’s defense team, had earlier confirmed that political leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Ennahdha movement were involved in Belaid’s assassination on February 6, 2013.
Ghannouchi has already been brought to court on terrorism charges, including “sending terrorists to hotbeds of tension”, “Instalingo (a spy case)” and “Nama’a Terrorist Association”.
Last Tuesday, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia appeared before an investigative judge in the judicial branch for combating terrorism. He was accused by one of the members of the security unions of blaspheming security agents and describing them as “tyrants.”
The End Is Approaching
Observers believe that the inevitable end for this octogenarian is approaching, which made the supporters of the Brotherhood, who number a lot, rush to support him out of fear for their sheik from prison, in a desperate attempt.
Tunisian political activist Hassan Tamimi said that Ghannouchi may see him as a respected guide among his supporters, but that holiness faded once he left Ennahdha’s headquarters.
“Since July 25, 2021, Ennahdha has been resorting to violence in order to return to power, the latest of which was the case of conspiracy against state security involving leaders who attempted to overthrow Kais Saied,” he said.
The political activist expected that, with the continuation of the prosecutions, Ennahdha in Tunisia would move to the phase of violence, especially in the case of the arrest of the Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh, because the history of the group and its Sheikh is bloody and totally connected to terrorism.
