Tunisian Judiciary Extends Detention of Islamist Lajmi Lourimi, Successor to Ghannouchi

The Tunisian judiciary has rejected the request for the release of Lajmi Lourimi, the Secretary General of the Islamist Ennahdha Movement, in the case of conspiring against the state security. The investigating judge at the Judicial Pole for the Fight against Terrorism ordered the extension of his preventive detention (under investigation) for an additional 4 months.

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Last July, the Tunisian judiciary issued arrest warrants against Lourimi, along with Islamists Mohamed Ghannoudi and Mosaab Al-Gharbi, in the case of conspiracy and their attempts to fuel tensions in the country and create chaos.

Lourimi, described as the “dove of the Ennahdha movement,” was in charge of the media wing of the Tunisian branch of the international Islamist organization, which was responsible for “defamation, spreading chaos, and carrying out smear and incitement campaigns.

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Lourimi assumed the position of Secretary General of the Ennahdha Movement in September 2023, following the imprisonment of the movement’s historic leader, Rached Ghannouchi, on terrorism charges, and the imprisonment of its interim president, Al-Monzir Al-Wonisi, in the same month, for conspiring against state security.

The case dates back to 2023, when a recording of a meeting between some of the accused circulated on social media, calling for rebellion. The video was shared on pages with a “provocative” tone towards state institutions.

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Search operations revealed, through seized documents, both at the residence of the Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi and his premises, the existence of plans to incite rebellion against state institutions, and the formation of groups to execute this plan, including preparing secret locations and securing the necessary funds.

The plan focused on using the Internet and social media to spread rumors and fake news to incite rebellion, causing confusion among the population and state institutions.

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