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As political tensions continue to escalate in Tunisia, Rached Ghannouchi — leader of Ennahdha and former Speaker of Parliament — issued a new message from Mornaguia Prison on Wednesday, December 10. The letter comes at a time when criticism of the government is intensifying, particularly regarding freedoms and the broader political environment under President Kaïs Saïed.
A Letter That Redraws the Opposition Landscape From Inside Prison
In his message, Ghannouchi highlights several figures of the opposition whom he describes as the “remaining frontlines of resistance” against what he views as the shrinking of Tunisia’s political space.
He pays special tribute to Ahmed Néjib Chebbi, Ayachi Hammami, and Chaïma Issa, presenting them as symbols of democratic vitality despite a suffocating political climate.
Ayachi Hammami: A Symbol of Critical Left-Wing Resistance Behind Bars
One of the central points in Ghannouchi’s letter is the case of Ayachi Hammami, portrayed as a key voice within Tunisia’s left who now finds himself imprisoned.
According to Ghannouchi, Hammami stands as a defender of individuals prosecuted in politically sensitive cases, raising deeper questions about the role of the judiciary during this political moment.
Néjib Chebbi: An Arrest That Reshapes the Balance of the Opposition
Ghannouchi devotes significant attention to Ahmed Néjib Chebbi, praising his efforts in uniting diverse political currents within the National Salvation Front.
This achievement, he argues, represented a rare political breakthrough in a landscape long marked by fragmentation.
However, Chebbi’s arrest on December 4 — following the enforcement of a final 12-year prison sentence in the well-known “conspiracy case” — generated wide condemnation from opposition parties and human rights organizations, who view the move as yet another sign of political hardening.
A Pattern of Arrests That Appears to Be Becoming Systemic
Since February, Tunisia has witnessed a growing wave of arrests, targeting politicians, lawyers, trade unionists, journalists, and human rights defenders.
This repeated pattern fuels a national debate about whether the country is witnessing a structural shift toward a more restrictive and centralized mode of governance.
A fundamental question emerges:
Is the law being applied impartially, or is it being interpreted politically in an environment where institutional counterweights are weakening?
When Prison Letters Become Political Instruments
Messages issued from behind prison walls are no longer personal appeals.
They have evolved into tools of political communication, used to influence public opinion, maintain opposition momentum, and attract international attention to Tunisia’s evolving political climate.
Tunisia at a Crossroads
When Ghannouchi speaks of “the fragmentation of power structures,” he frames the moment as one where the current system is losing its stabilizing mechanisms:
the absence of a national dialogue, a deep crisis of trust, the expansion of arrests, and heightened political polarization.
The central question remains:
Is Tunisia truly approaching a turning point that could mark the end of an authoritarian, hyper-centralized model of governance?
Or does the current leadership still have the capacity to consolidate its authority despite internal fissures?
Between these two scenarios, the country moves within a grey zone where legal, political, and institutional dynamics intersect — and where the lack of credible mechanisms for mediation continues to deepen the sense of uncertainty.
