Rached Ghannouchi, Tunisia’s Ennahda leader, marked 1,000 days in detention on Sunday, calling it a political reckoning.
In a message from Mornaguia Prison, published on Ennahda’s official Facebook page, Ghannouchi said his imprisonment tests Tunisia’s commitment to democracy and equal citizenship.
He argued that political exclusion and authoritarian practices remain intertwined, warning that suppressing opposition risks weakening the country’s democratic foundations.
Ghannouchi reaffirmed Ennahda’s long-standing support for political pluralism and the inclusion of all parties, regardless of ideological differences or past conflicts.
Without discussing legal proceedings, he urged political forces to unite, practise nonviolence, and work together to preserve Tunisia’s stability and social cohesion.
The 84-year-old framed his statement with reflective and religious language, emphasising patience, endurance, and moral perseverance over political mobilisation or immediate demands.
Ghannouchi has been imprisoned since April 2023, serving multiple sentences, including a 22-year term recently upheld in the Instalingo case by a Tunisian appeals court.
Authorities maintain he faces criminal charges tied to state security and deny any political interference in judicial processes.
Critics contend the prosecutions are part of a wider campaign against opponents of President Kais Saied’s exceptional measures introduced in July 2021.
Saied insists the measures were necessary to protect the state and restore order, rejecting accusations of eroding democratic freedoms in Tunisia.