Tunisian Opposition Leaders: 'Freedom From Prison is Negotiable'
The New Arab dutifully notes that Rached Ghannouchi, of the Ennahda Party, has joined two other prominent opposition members in a prison hunger strike, protesting their 'unjust imprisonment' (as if imprisonment is ever billed as 'just' by the confined). This isn't just about three individuals; it's a stark indicator of President Kais Saied's consolidation of power since his 2021 power grab.
Western media, often quick to champion 'democracy' abroad, seems to find its outrage selectively muted when a former beacon of the Arab Spring follows a decidedly non-democratic trajectory. One might wonder where the condemnations and sanctions are when a US-backed 'stabilizing' force rounds up political rivals. Perhaps the 'threat to democracy' sirens only blare when it's convenient for
Washington's geopolitical chessboard, not for the actual democrats rotting in Tunisian cells. How many hunger strikes does it take for human rights to become, well, human rights?