Eltaief, as soon as a confidant of former President Ben Ali, and two key political activists had been detained.

Tunisian police have arrested influential businessman Kamel Eltaief, as soon as a confidant of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in addition to two key political activists, attorneys say.

Eltaief, 68, was arrested from his residence within the capital, Tunis, on Saturday, lawyer Nizar Ayed stated with out Offering Additional Particulars.

For a lot of Tunisians – particularly supporters of the Ennahdha get together, fierce rivals of President Kais Saied – Eltaief was seen as an emblem of previous corruption within the North African nation.

The influential energy dealer was concerned within the 1987 coup that pressured former President Habib Bourguiba from energy on medical grounds, and was lengthy thought of a crony of Bourguiba’s successor Ben Ali. Eltaief fell out of grace with Ben Ali in 1992 after a feud together with his spouse Leila Trabelsi.

After the autumn of Ben Ali in 2011, the businessman moved nearer to the Opposition. In 2012, he was investigated for “conspiracy in opposition to state safety”, however no prices had been introduced in opposition to him and the case was closed in 2014.

Police additionally arrested Abdelhamid Jelassi, a former senior chief of the Ennahdha, in addition to political activist Khayam Turki.

Seven cops on Saturday night searched Jelassi’s residence and confiscated his cell phone earlier than arresting him, the get together stated with out offering additional particulars. Based on Tunisian media, Jelassi was arrested on “suspicion of a plot in opposition to state safety”.

Ennahdha, the most important get together within the opposition, stated the arrest of Turki was aimed toward intimidating the president’s opponents.

The Salvation Entrance, the primary opposition coalition in opposition to Saied, condemned his arrest, saying police had questioned him a number of instances for assembly opposition figures at his residence.

Turki’s lawyer Abdelaziz Essid, who stated his shopper was not recognized to be needed by the authorities, stated he was arrested in an early morning police raid.

“He was taken to an unknown vacation spot,” stated Essid, including Turki had not been “going through any authorized proceedings” to justify his arrest. No additional particulars had been instantly accessible.

Rights teams have voiced rising concern over the dearth of political freedoms in Tunisia since Saied’s seizure of most powers in 2021 and his strikes to imagine final authority over the judiciary. Since Saied’s takeover, Tunisia has seen a spike within the arrest and prosecution of politicians, journalists and others.

His opponents have accused him of authoritarianism within the birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.