Tunisia coup: Former premier appears in public for first time since power grab
Tunisia's prime minister has been seen in public for the first time in more than 10 days, as concerns were growing about his whereabouts.
Hichem Mechichi was seen in photos on Thursday declaring his assets to Tunisia's national anti-corruption body, the first time he has appeared in public since President Kais Saied’s announcement of a power grab on Sunday 25 July.
Middle East Eye previously reported that Mechichi - who announced his resignation on Facebook on 26 July - was physically assaulted the night before he agreed to resign.
The prime minister was summoned to the presidential palace on 25 July where Saied sacked him, announced the suspension of parliament, and assumed executive authority after anti-government protests.
Once at the palace, Mechichi repeatedly refused to quit, according to MEE sources. He was then beaten, leaving him with "significant" injuries.
Tunisia's transition to democracy is viewed as the sole success story of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, many of which were violently put down or became civil wars.
Saied insists that his power grab is not meant to derail Tunisia from its democratic path. But his moves were followed by a crackdown on critics, including a raid of Al Jazeera's offices in Tunis and the issuing of arrest warrants against several lawmakers and legal advocates.
Authorities have also opened probes against the country's two largest parties, Ennahda and Heart of Tunisia, based on allegations that they received foreign funds during the 2019 election campaign.
'Where is Mechichi'
Activists and politicians had been expressing concerns about the plight of Mechichi.
"I am absolutely concerned about his security. All efforts to get in touch with him have failed," Osama al-Saghir, a Tunisian MP with the Ennahda Party told MEE.
"All we have is a message on Facebook saying he [Mechichi] is stepping down. It is one more confirmation that what is going on in this country is very dangerous," he added.
On Wednesday, Anwar al-Gharbi, a member of the International Jurists Union (IJU), told the Arabi21 news website that his organisation had been trying for five days to obtain updates on Mechichi, to no avail.
“The situation of Mechichi has become worrying,” Gharbi said. “First of all he is a citizen before being a government official, and no one knows his whereabouts. We are keen on ensuring he is physically and psychologically well.”
"He is not at home. Everyone we contacted has no information about him, including his family and relatives, and even those who worked with him," Gharbi said.
Later on Wednesday, the National Commission for the Prevention of Torture, an independent oversight authority elected by parliament, said that it is investigating Mechichi’s case on suspicion that he has been mistreated or detained.
In a statement, the commission said it had failed to reach Mechichi since 26 July, as the hashtag “Where is Mechichi” trended on Twitter.
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