The World Owes Rached Ghannouchi a Debt of Gratitude
We, the undersigned scholars, former government officials, parliamentarians, diplomats, human rights advocates, religious leaders, and members of civil society, call for the immediate release of Rached Ghannouchi and all individuals imprisoned in Tunisia solely for the peaceful exercise of their political opinions, civic activities, or freedom of expression.
We make this appeal not because we necessarily share Mr. Ghannouchi’s political views or partisan affiliations.
We make it because democracy, human rights, and the rule of law require it.
For more than five decades, Rached Ghannouchi has been one of the most important advocates of peaceful political participation, democratic governance, and national dialogue in Tunisia and the Arab world. He endured imprisonment, persecution, and more than twenty years of exile under successive authoritarian governments. Yet throughout his life, he consistently rejected violence and embraced democratic engagement.
Following Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, Ghannouchi became one of the principal architects of the country’s democratic transition. At moments of deep political polarization, he repeatedly chose compromise over confrontation, dialogue over exclusion, and national unity over partisan advantage.
Under his leadership, Tunisia adopted one of the Arab world’s most democratic constitutions, protected political pluralism, and demonstrated that peaceful coexistence between citizens of different political and ideological convictions was possible.
Whether one agrees with all of his views is beside the point. The proper response to political disagreement in a democracy is debate, elections, and peaceful competition, not imprisonment.
Today, the continued detention of Tunisia’s most prominent opposition leader raises serious concerns about political freedom, judicial independence, and democratic governance. It also undermines one of the most important lessons of Tunisia’s democratic experience: that inclusion, dialogue, and compromise are stronger foundations for stability than repression and exclusion.
History will remember Rached Ghannouchi as one of the key figures of Tunisia’s democratic transition and one of the leading Muslim democratic thinkers of his generation. His contributions to political pluralism, democratic participation, and national reconciliation deserve recognition, not imprisonment.
Tunisia’s future will be strengthened not by the imprisonment of political opponents, but by a renewed commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
Former Heads of State and Government
Former Foreign Ministers and Diplomats
Members of Parliament
Scholars and University Leaders
Human Rights Defenders
Religious Leaders
Journalists and Public Intellectuals
Democracy and Civil Society Advocates
The World Owes Rached Ghannouchi a Debt of Gratitude
We, the undersigned scholars, former government officials, parliamentarians, diplomats, human rights advocates, religious leaders, and members of civil society, call for the immediate release of Rached Ghannouchi and all individuals imprisoned in Tunisia solely for the peaceful exercise of their political opinions, civic activities, or freedom of expression.
We make this appeal not because we necessarily share Mr. Ghannouchi's political views or partisan affiliations.
We make it because democracy, human rights, and the rule of law require it.
For more than five decades, Rached Ghannouchi has been one of the most important advocates of peaceful political participation, democratic governance, and national dialogue in Tunisia and the Arab world. He endured imprisonment, persecution, and more than twenty years of exile under successive authoritarian governments. Yet throughout his life, he consistently rejected violence and embraced democratic engagement.
Following Tunisia's 2011 revolution, Ghannouchi became one of the principal architects of the country's democratic transition. At moments of deep political polarization, he repeatedly chose compromise over confrontation, dialogue over exclusion, and national unity over partisan advantage.
Under his leadership, Tunisia adopted one of the Arab world's most democratic constitutions, protected political pluralism, and demonstrated that peaceful coexistence between citizens of different political and ideological convictions was possible.
Whether one agrees with all of his views is beside the point. The proper response to political disagreement in a democracy is debate, elections, and peaceful competition, not imprisonment.
Today, the continued detention of Tunisia's most prominent opposition leader raises serious concerns about political freedom, judicial independence, and democratic governance. It also undermines one of the most important lessons of Tunisia's democratic experience: that inclusion, dialogue, and compromise are stronger foundations for stability than repression and exclusion.
History will remember Rached Ghannouchi as one of the key figures of Tunisia's democratic transition and one of the leading Muslim democratic thinkers of his generation. His contributions to political pluralism, democratic participation, and national reconciliation deserve recognition, not imprisonment.
Tunisia's future will be strengthened not by the imprisonment of political opponents, but by a renewed commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
UNITED STATES:
UNITED KINGDOM:
MALAYSIA:
TURKEY:
Other Countries:
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Former Heads of State and Government
Former Foreign Ministers and Diplomats
Members of Parliament
Scholars and University Leaders
Human Rights Defenders
Religious Leaders
Journalists and Public Intellectuals
Democracy and Civil Society Advocates
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