Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the arrest of Rached Ghannouchi in Tunisia.

On 18 April, the Minister of State for North Africa, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon made clear the UK's view that the recent wave of arrests, including of Rached Ghannouchi, and restrictions on political opposition in Tunisia are eroding the space for plurality, urging the Tunisian Government to respect the principles and values of an open and democratic society. The Minister also raised our issues over the recent arrests directly with Tunisian Chargé d'Affaires on 23 February, as did His Majesty's Ambassador to Tunisia with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar on 23 February. The UK believes in the importance of space for legitimate political opposition, civil society, strengthening human rights and including all voices in building resilient and successful democracies. We continue to monitor the political and human rights situation in Tunisia closely.