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PETITION:
An International Appeal for the Release of Rached Ghannouchi
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.
We therefore call upon the Tunisian authorities to:
- Immediately release Rached Ghannouchi.
- Release all individuals detained solely for peaceful political activity or expression.
- Respect freedom of expression, political participation, and judicial independence.
- Reopen the space for peaceful democratic dialogue and political competition.
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.
Signatories (190)
UNITED STATES:
Radwan Masmoudi, President, Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy
Omar Shakir, Executive Director, DAWN
Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institutuon and Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University
John Esposito, Distinguished University Professor, Geogretown University
Bahey Hassan, Co-founder of the human rights movement in Egypt
Charles Butterworth, Emeritus Professor University of Maryland, College
Abderazzak Kilani, Lawyer and Human rights activist, Former Dean of the Tunisian Lawyers Union
David Mack, Former Diplomat and University Professor
Mark LeVine, Professor of History and Islamic studies
Juan Cole, Professor, University of Michigan
Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, President, Minaret of Freedom Institute
Scott Alexander, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, Catholic Theological Union
Farid Hafez, Associate Teaching Professor of International Relations, College of William & Mary
Mohammad Kamali, Professor, Dato, Dr, (formerly Founding CEO of) The International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Nader Hashemi, Associate Professor of Middle East Politics, Georgetown University
Ermin Sinanovic, Executive Director, Center for Islam in the Contemporary World
Oussama Jammal, Secretary General, US Council of Muslim Organizations, United States
Abdullah Alaoudh, Senior Policy Advisor at the American Committee for Middle East Rights, United States
Clement Moore Henry, Emeritus professor of government and middle East studies, university of Texas at Austin Greece
Muqtedar Khan, Professor of International Relations at the University of Delaware and Host of Khanversations. United States
Mark Tessler, Samuel J. Eldersveld Collegiate Professor of Politics, University of Michigan United States
Mohsen Kadivar, Research Professor of Religious Studies, Duke University United State
James Piscatori, Emeritus Professor Australian National University Australia
Samer Shehata, Colin & Patricia Molina de Mackey Associate Professor of Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma United States
Mohammad Fadel, Prof. at University of Toronto Faculty of Law Canada
Aly Abuzaakouk, Former Foreign Minister and Member of Parliament Libya
Barbara Coscarello, Adjunct Professor of Sociology United States
Zaid Albarzinji, Dr. and Philanthropist United States
Curtis Doebbler, Research Professor of Law at the University of Makeni in Sierra Leone and proprietor of DoebblerLaw - The Law Office of Dr Curtis FJ Doebbler in Austin, Texas, USA
Siraj Mufti, Professor Emeritus, Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona United States
Linda Brown, English Language instructor at École nationale d'ingénieurs de Gabès. United States
Magdy Hussein, CEO United States
John Anderson, *Democratic Socialists; *former Peace Corps, Tunisia & Morocco; *former USAID/Foreign Service (RIP) United States
Reem Elghonimi, Historian and founder, True Human United States
Reuven Kimelman, Professor of Near Eastern and Jewish Studies Brandeis University United States
Susan Douglass, Education Outreach Director (retired), Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University United States
Lily RAHIM, Honorary Fellow, Georgetown University, Centre for Christian and Muslim Understanding Australia
Marie-Francoise, DUTHU MEP. Former teacher of Economics , Université Paris Ouest-Nanterre-La-Défense. Belgium
Chefor Gideon, Human Rights Defenders Cameroon
Jonathan Adjemian, Academic translator and editor Canada
Francoise ALAMARTINE, Bureau Commission Transnationale Les Écologistes France
Florence Faurie-Vidal, Membre des Écologistes. Présidente d' Afrique Agri Solaire, association franco-malienne de co-développement France
Me Abdelwahab MATAR, Avocat en Cassation et au Conseil d’Etat, Tunisia
Hele Beji, Writer France
Ali Ben Ali, Consultant France
Amina Akeyshi, Researcher, ETHRW Malaysia
Bouchikhi Hocine, Dr in political science and International relation. Working in Mutiara international (Malaysia)
Mohamed EZROURA, Dr. Senior Professor Morocco
Tayeb BOUAZZA, PhD in Philosophy, Professor of Higher Education, Moroccan writer Morocco
Dr. Sajid Iqbal Sheikh, Associate Professor University of Management and Technology Lahore Pakistan
Mohamed Meftah, Médecin Tunisia
Murat Ozer, Prof. Dr., Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey Turkey
Radwan Masmoudi, President, Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy
Salam al-Marayati, President, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
Omar Shakir, Executive Director, DAWN
Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institutuon and Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University
John Esposito, Distinguished University Professor, Geogretown University
Nader Hashemi, Associate Professor of Middle East Politics, Georgetown University
Professor John Keane, Professor of Politics University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Bahey Hassan, Co-founder of the human rights movement in Egypt
Charles Butterworth, Emeritus Professor University of Maryland, College
Mohsen Kadivar, Research Professor of Religious Studies, Duke University, Chapel Hill, United States
James Piscatori, Emeritus Professor Australian National University Australia
Mark Tessler, Samuel J. Eldersveld Collegiate Professor of Politics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
Sharan Grewal, Associate Professor, American University and Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Washington, United States
Mohammad Kamali, Professor, Dato, Dr, (formerly Founding CEO) The International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Ermin Sinanovic, Executive Director, Center for Islam in the Contemporary World
Clement Moore Henry, Emeritus professor of government and middle East studies, university of Texas at Austin Greece
Mark LeVine, Professor of History and Islamic studies
Juan Cole, Professor, University of Michigan
Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, President, Minaret of Freedom Institute
Scott Alexander, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, Catholic Theological Union
Farid Hafez, Associate Teaching Professor of International Relations, College of William & Mary
Murhaf Jouejati, University Professor (retired), Vienna, Va., United States
Elisa Massimino, Visiting Professor of Law and Executive Director, Human Rights Institute,
Tamara Sonn, Professor Emerita in the History of Islam, Washington DC, United States
Muqtedar Khan, Professor of International Relations at the University of Delaware and Host of Khanversations. United States
Louay Safi, Professor of Politics and Islamic Studies, Ashburn, United States
Jonathan Brown, Professor, Georgetown University, Washington DC, United States
Ahmet Kuru, Prof. of Political Science, San Diego, United States
Jose Casanova, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Theology and Religious Studies, Montclair, NJ, United States
Khaled Saffuri, President, NIF, Washington, United States
Steven Heydemann, Professor, Smith College, Chevy Chase, United States
Curtis Doebbler, Research Professor of Law at the University of Makeni in Sierra Leone and proprietor of DoebblerLaw - The Law Office of Dr Curtis FJ Doebbler in Austin, TX, United States
Ziad Asali, Retired Physician, Washington DC, United States
Oussama Jammal, Secretary General, US Council of Muslim Organizations United States
Abdullah Alaoudh, Senior Policy Advisor at the American Committee for Middle East Rights United States
Samer Shehata, Colin & Patricia Molina de Mackey Associate Professor of Middle East Studies, University of Oklahoma United States
Mohammad Fadel, Prof. at University of Toronto Faculty of Law Canada
Aly Abuzaakouk, Former Foreign Minister and Member of Parliament Libya
Reem Elghonimi, Historian and founder, True Human, Austin, TX, United States
Reuven Kimelman, Professor of Near Eastern and Jewish Studies Brandeis University, Brookline, United States
Abdulmawgoud Dardery, Former Member of Parliament, Egypt. President, Center for Egyptian American Dialogue, Minneapolis, United States
Don Yager, Founding Director His Majesty’s Scholarship Program at The Sultan’s School, Seeb, Sultanate of Oman, Fenton Iowa, United States
David A. Smith, Professor of Sociology, UC-Irvine, Irvine, United States
Victor Begg, Author & columnist, Reston, United States
Zahid Bukhari, Executive Director Center for Islam and Public Policy (CIPP), Frederick, United States
Robert Freedman, Professor,Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
Seyed Ghazvini, Imam, Crescent Islamic Center, Chantilly, VA, VIENNA, United States
Aftab Siddiqui, President Dallas Peace and Justice Center, Arlington, Texas, United States
Nedia Makhlouf, Arizona State University - Adt Corporate, Fairfax, United States
Delwar Mazumder, Secretary, Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh, New York, United States
Robert Reed, Student, Columbus, United States
Peri Bearman, Editor-in-Chief and Editor for Islamic West Asia, JASPA, Groton, MA, United States
Rosalyn Doggett, Former Peace Corps volunteer, Washington, DC, United States
Abdullah Ahsan, Retired academic, Markham, Illinois, United States
Ahmed Badr, MD, Newport Coast, United States
Hashim El-Tinay, Co-Founder International Peace Quest Institute (IPQI), Washington, United States
Dr. Jean Narcisse Djaha, President & Global Chair of the African Council on Foreign Relations, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, United States
BEHRAD NAKHAI, Nuclear Engineer, PhD, PE, Tuckahoe, United States
Donald Watson, Professor and Dean Emeritus, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Trumbull, United States
Mahmoud Ali, Concerned citizen, San Jose, United States
Ahmed Saleh, Senior program manager, Hanover, United States
Nancy Fox, Hon. Ret. Pastor Presbyterian Church USA, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Mohammad Asi, Imam, Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought, Author, Writer, Silver Spring, United States
Abdel Elsiddig, President Bridges, Lombard, United States
Sahar Khamis, Professor of Communication, University of Maryland. College Park, Silver Spring, United States
Nizar Farsakh, Lecturer of International Affairs at GWU, WASHINGTON, D.C., United States
Mansfield Kaseman, Pastor Emeritus, Rockville United Church, Boyds, United States
Zouhir Rhaouate, Wesley Chapel, United States
Maryam Ahmad, CSID Volunteer, Centreville, United States
Myles Weintraub, Architect & U.S. Peace Corps, Tunisia, New York, United States
ABDELHALEEM ASHQAR, Professor, Springfield, United States
Pamela Taylor, Cincinnati, United States
Syed Elias, Citizen of USA, Round Rock, United States
Ali Jarrah, Law Student, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
ALAAELDIN SAYED-GAWISH, Bergen County Islamic Center, Hackensack, United States
Amna Afreen, ELD High School Teacher, Catonsville, United States
Barbara Coscarello, Former Adjunct Professor of Sociology, Camden, United States
Zaid Albarzinji, Nashville, United States
Azhar Raina, Spring, United States
Siraj Mufti, Professor Emeritus, Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, United States
Linda Brown, Former English Language instructor at École nationale d'ingénieurs de Gabès., Chapel Hill, United States
Magdy Hussein, CEO, Sunnyvale, United States
John Anderson, Democratic Socialists, former Peace Corps, Tunisia & Morocco, former USAID/Foreign Service (RIP), Vienna, Virginia, United States
UNITED KINGDOM:
Tamara Dragadze, Professor, London, United Kingdom
PETER A OBORNE, Columnist Middle East Eye, LONDON, United Kingdom
Jamal Turk, London, United Kingdom
Abdulnabi Alekry, advisor. Bahrain Human Rights Society, Shakhora, United Kingdom
Rodney Shakespeare, Former Visiting Professor, Trisakti University, Jakarta., London, UK, United Kingdom
Elizia Volkmann, Journalist and documentary producer: previously Tunis based correspondent for Al Jazeera., London, United Kingdom
Chokri Majouli, Imam, London, United Kingdom
Awais Ajmal, London, United Kingdom
Bara Kherigi, London, United Kingdom
FRANCE:
Abderrazak Kilani, Lawyer and human rights activist, former Head of Tunisia's Lawyers Association, and former Tunisian Ambassador to the UN-Geneva.
Francois Burgat, Ex DR cnrs Iremam, Aix en Provence, France
Ghalia Daly, Chercheurs en SHS, GENTILLY, France
TAHA BOUCHADDAKH, A PhD fellowship at the University of Strasbourg (Unistra), STRASBOURG (STRASBOURG), France
Annie Lahmer, Conseillère Regionale, Paris, France
Francoise ALAMARTINE, Bureau Commission Transnationale Les Écologistes, SETE, France
Florence Faurie-Vidal, Membre des Écologistes. Présidente d' Afrique Agri Solaire, association franco-malienne de co-développement, Paris, France
Hele Beji, Writer, Paris, France
Ali Ben Ali, Consultant, Bizett, France
MALAYSIA:
Abdul Muneem, Dr. Lecturer, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Siti Ismail, Lecturer, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Muhammad Khalis Ibrahim, Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mohd Roslan Mohd Nor, Professor, Dept of Islamic History, Civilization and Education, Academy of Islamic Studies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Chandra Muzaffar, President International Movement for a Just World (JUST), Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Amina Akeyshi, Researcher, ETHRW, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Bouchikhi Hocine, Dr in political science and International relation. Working in Mutiara International (Malaysia), selangor, Malaysia
Mohammad Kamali, Professor, Dato, Dr, (formerly Founding CEO) The International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
TURKEY:
Fatih Okumus, PhD, Marmara University İstanbul Professor of Islamic Law, KSU, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey
Necmeddin Bilal Erdogan, Chairman, Ilim Yayma Foundation, Istanbul, Turkey
Yilmaz ENSAROGLU, Former Senior Advisor to the PM, Ankara, Turkey
Ibrahim Bisharat, PhD Researcher on The reconstruction of Post Conflict Countries and Societies., Istanbul, Turkey
Ali Murat Yel, professor of social anthropology marmara university, istanbul, Turkey
Murat Ozer, Prof. Dr., Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
Other Countries:
LOUCIF Kamel, Setif university researcher, Setif, Algeria
Ghechir Boudjema, Human rights défendre, Constantine, Algeria
Professor John Keane, Professor of Politics University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Lily RAHIM, Honorary Fellow, Georgetown University, Centre for Christian and Muslim Understanding, SYDNEY, Australia
James Piscatori, Emeritus Professor Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Md Shahidullah, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Kazi Kabir, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tareq Mahmud, Shariyah Consultant, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tarek AlGhorani, Journalist and human rights defender, Etterbeek, Belgium
Elmi Yabeh, NGO (CEDA) chairman, Bruxelles, Belgium
Marie-Francoise DUTHU, Former MEP. Former teacher of Economics, Université Paris Ouest-Nanterre-La-Défense, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Naser Ghobadzadeh, Associate Professor, American University in Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Chefor Gideon, Human Rights Defenders, Yaounde, Cameroon
Ehab Lotayef, Poet and Writer, Montreal, Canada
Hatem Alim, Eng., Vancouver, Canada
Jonathan Adjemian, Academic translator and editor, Toronto, Canada
Mohammad Fadel, University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Toronto, Canada
Arwa Hassan, International Development Practitioner, Berlin, Germany
Ridha Mechirgui, Pensioner, Bielefeld, Germany
Clement Moore Henry, Emeritus professor of government and middle East studies, university of Texas at sustin, Glyfada, Greece
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, Former Chairman, Delhi Minorities Commission; President, All India Muslim Majlise-e Mushawarat, New Delhi, India
Maqbool Siraj, Senior Associate Editor, News Trail, English Daily, Bangalore,, India
Irfan Engineer, Director, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai, India
Mohamad Ashrof, journalist, kochi, India
Ishtiaq Hussain, Assistant Professor, Aliah University Kolkata, Kolkata, India
Sumanto Al Qurtuby, Founder & Director, Nusantara Institute, Indonesia, Semarang, Indonesia
Darlis Azis, M.A, Aceh, Indonesia
Omar Muhamad, Assistant Professor, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Erbil, Iraq
Bekhal Abubakir, Faculty member at UoS, Sulaimani, Iraq
Rachele Via, ICSSI - Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative, marsala, Italy
Alia Himmat, Como, Italy
Mohamed EZROURA, Dr. Senior Professor., Rabat, Morocco
Tayeb BOUAZZA, PhD in Philosophy, Professor of Higher Education, Moroccan writer, Tangier, Morocco
Dr. Sajid Iqbal Sheikh, Associate Professor University of Management and Technology Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Timothy Kennedy, International Educator, Panama Pacifico, Panama
Nassef Manabilang Adiong, Director, Bangsamoro Parliament's Policy Research Office, Quezon City, Philippines
Ivan Ejub Kostić, PhD, Research fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Ahmed Manjra, Dr Paediatrician, Durban, South Africa
Ricard González, Freelance journalist, Sant Adrià de Besos, Spain
Carolina Mayeur, Retired civil servant, Madrid, Spain
Thierry Desrues, Sociologist, Cordoba, Spain
Bosco Govantes, Associate Professor in Political Science, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
Faisal Mohamed Salih, Journalist, Writer, Academic. Ex Minister of Culture and Information, Khartoum, Sudan
Anouar Gharbi, President of Geneva Centre for Democracy and Human Rights cgdhr.org, Geneva, Switzerland
Youcef Nedjadi, Doctor, Nuclear scientist, Lausanne, Switzerland
Amor Guidoum, Aigle, Switzerland
Daniel Saoud, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Committees for the Defense of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Syria (CDF); President, Syrian Federation for Human Rights, Syria
Ismail Saleh, Graduate Students in International Politics and Asia Pacific Studies, College of Social Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan., Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Imed Chihi, Director, IT Support Services, Tunis, Tunisia
Safwa khaldi, Researcher, PHD, Sociology, tunis, Tunisia
Abdessatar Rejeb, Professor of sociology, Tunis, Tunisia
Bouhlel El Ghoul, Tozeur, Tunisia
Mohamed Meftah, Médecin, Sousse, Tunisia
Khedija Saleh, Engineer and Civil Society Activist, Kebili, Tunisia
- 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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