Protests in Tunis Against the Arrest of Lawyer Ahmed Sowab and Calls for His Release
Hundreds of young people demonstrated in the capital of Tunisia on Monday to protest the arrest of lawyer Ahmed Sowab, a member of the defense team for those accused of “conspiring against state security.” The demonstration started from the Passage Square in the heart of the capital, making its way to Habib Bourguiba Avenue, where protesters raised slogans demanding his release.
Earlier on Monday, security authorities detained Sowab, a former judge at the Administrative Court, and took him to a security facility in the Bouchaoucha area. The Judicial Pole for Combating Terrorism announced that an investigation had been opened against him following statements he made in a video published on April 19, where authorities accused him of inciting violence.
The Ennahda Movement expressed its full solidarity with Sowab, considering his arrest to be part of “attempts to distort statements and fabricate charges against lawyers.” They also called for the cessation of such practices and for his release. Meanwhile, the Republican Party condemned this arrest, calling it “arbitrary” and held the authorities responsible for its repercussions.
For its part, the “At-Takatul” party expressed solidarity with Sowab and all those detained due to their political positions, calling for their release.
These events come at a sensitive time, as Tunisia is experiencing trials for several politicians and opponents in the “case of conspiring against state security,” which has resulted in prison sentences totaling 66 years for 40 defendants. The Tunisian authorities asserted that the charges against them pertain to state security and rejected characterizing them as politically motivated cases.
