The Ennahda Movement is struggling with the Free Constitutional Party bloc inside the Parliament. More than 80 MPs have submitted a resolution text to withdraw confidence from the President of the Parliament, Rashid Ghannoushi; the list was submitted to the parliament’s administration. Meanwhile, the Ennahda movement is being challenged by the defense committee regarding the killing of the two politicians Shukri Belaid and Al-Hajj Mohamed al-Barahmi seven years ago.
During the latest press conference held by the committee, members said that a secret part of Ennahda could be involved in the political assassinations, accusing Mustafa Khadhar, a member of Ennahda.
In this regard, Iman Qazazeh, a member of the defense committee, said that Khadhar would be no more than a piece in a big chain, linked to many people within the movement, including its president, Rashid al-Ghannoushi.
Ennahda Secret Apparatus
“The connection with Ghannoushi was not only via phone, it was through another person: Kamal al-Badawi, who joined the secret apparatus in 1991” Qazazeh said, adding that al-Badawia would be very close to Ghannoushi, supervising the security staff of the apparatus. She confirmed that al-Badawi called Ghannoushi when he was detained in al-Muroojat center.
The committee member pointed out that many phone calls were discovered between both Badawi and Ghannoushi, especially during the period of political assassinations.
Qazazeh said that eleven phone calls were made between both phone number one day before the assassination of al-Barahmi, and that they were made after midnight on July 24, 2013.
The committee member revealed that thousands of documents related to 21 files, 15 files of which are related to the moves and phone calls of Abu Bakr al-Hakim, a terrorist involved in many cases. Those moves and phone calls were secretly hidden, but later revealed by the defense committee after reviewing the investigation results.
Iman Qazazeh has accused Ennahda’s secret bureau of hiding the truth by using its influence in the state’s security and judicial apparatuses.
Who is the orchestrator?
The Defense Committee also reviewed the latest developments in the case of Fathi Damak, where the name of Shukri Belaid was mentioned. The Committee members confirmed that the Ennahda movement tried by all means to change the direction of the investigation, indicating that after seven years the Court of Cassation confirmed that terrorists were involved and that those who are linked with Fathi Damak would be also linked to Mustafa Khadher and charges were also brought against them.
It is noteworthy that, in a previous session held on May 29, the Tunisian Court of First Instance postponed the consideration of the case of Mohamed al-Barahmi, who was assassinated on July 25, 2013 in front of his home in the capital, until October 30 of this year to implement preparatory provisions.
Meanwhile, the defense committee, continued to exert pressures with all legal methods to reveal the truth about the assassination of Belaid and Barahmi, its planning, given orders and all individuals responsible for the killings.
The Same Terms
In response to the committee’s accusations, the Ennahda executive office held a meeting and issued a statement, condemning what it considered to be a pure investment in the current political crisis resulted by the assassination of Belaid and Brahmi, and that the committee would falsely be trying to be the in place of the responsible judicial bodies. According to the statement, the committee would be making accusations randomly, an abuse to the judicial bodies and the state institutions in general.
It is not the first time that the movement addresses public opinion using the same terms, whenever the defense committee reveals developments in the case of the assassination of Belaid and Barahmi.
It would be more preferable for the movement to face charges with political courage, admitting the political responsibility for the assassination, as it took place during its reign. It could also have made it clear from the first day that it bears the responsibility for not providing protection, or the responsibility for negligence, or if there was incitement by its supporters and leaders, or any threats against the two killed politicians. It should pledge to uncover the truth and work to unveil the real killers together with the true reasons and motives behind the two political assassinations, which almost took the country into a civil war.
