Tunisia: Club de Madrid calls on President Saied to free former PM Hamadi Jebali; denounces a creeping dictatorship

Club de Madrid, the largest non-profit organization made of former Presidents and Heads of States, has urged Tunisia’s President Kais Saied to liberate ex-Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and respect the rule of law in the North African country.

Jebali was detained last Thursday by security police –for the second time in less than two months– without an immediate official comment and on suspicion of money laundering.

Club de Madrid, in a statement Twitted on Sunday, said Jebali has urgently been transferred to the intensive care unit of Habib Thamer Hospital in Tunis, in seriously deteriorated health condition.

“The head of government Hamadi Jebali began a hunger strike, claiming that his arrest was politically motivated and not related to money laundering. This has severely affected his health,” the statement said.

“Political tensions and human rights concerns have been rising in Tunisia since July 2021, but also the implementation of exceptional measures imposed by President Kais Saied, including the dissolution of the Parliament, the Higher Council of the Judiciary and the Higher Independent Electoral Body. This process is considered a creeping dictatorship in Tunisia,” the statement added.

The Tunisian interior ministry indirectly accuses the former Prime Minister of dubious foreign financing scheme after he allegedly received multiple money transfers for an organization.

Jebali, Prime Minister between December 2011 and February 2013, is member of the organization founded in 2011 and which promotes democracy and change in the international community.