The president of the Islamist party Ennahda Rached Ghannouchi waves to supporters during a meeting in Tunis, Tunisia, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. (AP)

The US State Department condemned in a statement on Wednesday the arrests of dissidents in Tunisia, including the head of the Ennahda movement, Rached Ghannouchi, the closure of the Nahda party headquarters, and the banning of meetings held by certain opposition groups.

A statement by the US State Department spokesperson, Vedant Patel, criticized the Tunisian government's arrests of political opponents and critics, accusing it of not abiding by the population's right to freedom of opinion, thought, and expression.

It added that the Tunisian government’s implication that "these actions are based on public statements – represents a troubling escalation by the Tunisian government against perceived opponents."

The leader of the opposition Ennahdha party and the speaker of the elected parliament that President Kais Saied officially dissolved last year, Rached Ghannouchi, was called in for questioning last week, and was charged earlier on Thursday with jeopardizing national security.

Saied stated earlier this month that those detained had engaged in "conspiracy against internal and external state security," without naming any of the people.

A day after Ghannouchi's arrest, Tunisian authorities shut down the party's offices, local media reported on Tuesday. The Tunisian Interior Minister also announced a ban on meetings in Ennahda and National Salvation Front centers.

Following Ghannouchi's arrest last night from his home in Tunis, the Ennahda Movement in Tunisia issued a statement calling for his "immediate release" and called on authorities to stop oppressing "opposition political activists."