Tunisian deputy and critic of President Makhlouf briefly detained | Tunisia News

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Opposition MP Seif Eddine Makhlouf arrested by plainclothes police as he tried to attend a hearing against himself.

Seif Eddine Makhlouf, a member of the opposition in the Tunisian parliament, was briefly detained as he tried to attend a hearing against himself in the capital, his lawyer said.

Makhlouf, leader of the conservative Karama party and frequent parliament critic of President Kais Saied, who seized additional powers in July, was arrested by plainclothes officers as he attempted to enter Tunis military court on Friday, said his lawyer Anouar Awled. news agencies.

Officers took Makhlouf in a car, a video posted by Awled online showed.

The lawyer told AFP news agency that as soon as he arrived in court, plainclothes policemen ran to Seif Eddine, forced him to the ground and beat him and then forced him into a vehicle. civil.

The judge handling the case in the military court then ordered his release and said he was due in court on September 27, his lawyer said, without saying why he had been detained.

Makhlouf was wanted by the military court for allegedly insulting security personnel at the airport months ago, Awled said.

Rights groups lobbied for the release of another member of parliament, Yassin Ayari, and criticized the use of military courts to try civilians. They also expressed concern over travel bans for wanted people on various charges.

Shortly before his detention, Makhlouf posted a video saying he was going to court with his lawyers.

We are not afraid of the military tribunal but we reject coups that use military justice to settle scores against opponents, he said.

President Saied lifted parliamentarians’ immunity, leaving them open to various prosecutions [File: Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters]

Saied on July 25 dismissed the government, suspended parliament, lifted the immunity of lawmakers and appointed himself chief prosecutor.

The president rejected coup charges and pledged to stand up for rights, arguing his intervention was necessary to save the country from corruption and political paralysis.

On Friday, he said no one would be prevented from traveling unless they were subjected to an existing case.

While his takeover and freeze of parliament appeared to be widely popular, opposition among key political players has grown since one of his advisers told Reuters news agency last week that Saied was planning to suspend the constitution.

A strong union and several major political parties have since declared that any constitutional change must be passed constitutionally.

Civil society activists called a first protest against Saied for Saturday, a test of how the security services plan to handle direct public opposition to the president’s movements.

Saied lifted the immunity of members of parliament, leaving them exposed to various prosecutions, and several have since been arrested or charged.

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