An apology to Rachid Ghannouchi
IN OUR briefing last week on women and the Arab awakening (“Now is the time”), we said that Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia's Nahda party, opposes the country's liberal code of individual rights, the Code of Personal Status, and its prohibition of polygamy. We also said that he has threatened to hang a prominent Tunisian feminist, Raja bin Salama, in Basij Square in Tunis, because she has called for the country's new laws to be based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We accept that neither of these statements is true: Mr Ghannouchi has expressly said that he accepts the Code of Personal Status; and he never threatened to hang Ms bin Salama. We apologise to him unreservedly.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline "An apology to Rachid Ghannouchi"
More from Middle East & Africa
How Iran covered up the damage from Israel’s strikes
New images shared with The Economist show how a swap helped calm a crisis
Israel responds to Iran’s barrage with a symbolic strike
Both sides have a chance to de-escalate their conflict, at least for now
Tanzania’s opposition, once flat on its back, is now on its knees
The next elections will be both uncompetitive and unfair