TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A court in Tunisia has issued a travel ban on 34 people, including the head of the moderate Islamist Ennahdha party, all suspected of involvement in an alleged parallel security service reportedly put into place after the 2011 Tunisian revolution. Ennahdha party chief Rachid Ghannouchi and 33 others have been targeted in an investigation into the alleged service, dubbed the “secret apparatus,” which has been blamed by some for the still-unsolved murders of two leftist militants in 2013. The travel bans were issued on orders of Justice Minister Leila Jaffel, the court spokeswoman told Radio Mosaique. He denounced “continued pressure exercised by President Saied” on the judiciary, which he has ordered to hunt out corruption. Under pressure from Tunisia’s allies, who are concerned about democratic backsliding in Tunisia, Saied has laid out a roadmap that foresees organizing a referendum on July 25 on political reforms to amend the constitution, then holding a parliamentary election on Dec. 17.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 28, 2022 19:10 UTC