Tunisia: Government seeks ban for Islamist party

Tunisia | 04 October 2016

Agence France-Presse reported on 7 September 2016 that the Tunisian government has lodged a petition to a military court to ban the radical Islamic party called Hizb ut-Tahrir. The party was only legalized in 2012 and has been repeatedly accused of "undermining public order". Hizb ut-Tahrir aims to establish a pan-Islamic caliphate and has reportedly issued inflammatory statements threatening the use of violence. The movement is already outlawed in several countries and it is expected that the military court will hand down a decision banning the party in Tunisia as well. ‚ Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, says: "Tunisia faces a real threat of instability due to the rise in activity of radical Islamic groups in the country. The situation is getting even more disconcerting due to the fact that many Tunisian Islamic fighters who have been fighting alongside IS in Libya are now returning home. If groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir gain more influence in Tunisia, the persecution of Christians in the country could become much more intense and violent. Therefore, the proposed ban is to be seen as a positive development."