The Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF) has issued a statement condemning what it describes as a serious assassination threat against Tunisian opposition leader Hamma Hammami, Secretary-General of the Tunisian Workers' Party, following the circulation of a video in which a supporter of President Kais Saied allegedly called for his killing.
In the statement released from its headquarters in Accra, the PPF said the video, which began circulating on July 13, openly incited violence against Hammami and other opposition figures through threats and accusations of treason and apostasy. The organization expressed concern that the video reportedly remained online for several days without being removed and that no action had been taken against its author.
The PPF argued that the incident forms part of a broader pattern of intimidation against Hammami, citing recent false reports of his arrest as well as years of documented death threats dating back to the aftermath of Tunisia's 2011 revolution. The organization also referenced the 2013 assassinations of left-wing politicians Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, warning that failure to address political incitement could create conditions for similar violence.
The statement noted that concerns over the threats have also been raised by other organizations, including the Tunisian League for Human Rights and the Party of the European Left, both of which have called on Tunisian authorities to investigate the threats and guarantee Hammami's safety. According to the PPF, these interventions demonstrate that the issue extends beyond partisan politics and raises broader concerns about political freedoms and human rights in Tunisia.
Recalling Hammami's history as a long-time opposition figure who was imprisoned and tortured under former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the PPF said the current threats reflect what it described as a deterioration of Tunisia's democratic environment since President Kais Saied consolidated power in July 2021.
The organization called on Tunisian authorities to provide immediate security protection for Hammami, remove the video from online platforms, conduct an independent investigation into those responsible and prosecute individuals accused of inciting violence. It also urged authorities to apply the law equally regardless of political affiliation.
Concluding its statement, the PPF condemned what it described as "criminal and terrorist rhetoric" aimed at silencing political dissent. The organization said it would hold the Tunisian state responsible for Hammami's safety and called on progressive, Pan-Africanist and revolutionary movements across Africa and the Global South to express solidarity with the Tunisian Workers' Party and other democratic forces.
Find the attached document for the full statement PPF STATEMEENT ON TUNISIA (ASSASINATION)