Tunisia judge orders opposition top official’s imprisonment

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — An anti-terrorism judge in Tunis has ordered the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, vice-president of the popular Islamist opposition party Ennahdha. The judge’s decision, announced on Monday, came after legislative elections marked by a very low turnout. Lawyer Ines Harrath said the move is linked to a case involving Tunisians who went to fight alongside extremists in Syria in which other Ennahdha officials are suspected. Ennahdha, which held the largest number of lawmakers in the dissolved parliament, denounced a political attack. Only 11.22% of Tunisian voters cast ballots in Saturday’s legislative elections, according to Farouk Bouaskar, the president of Tunisia’s Election Authority, who unveiled Monday the preliminary official results.