Tunisia Faces Mounting Criticism as Rights Groups Condemn Crackdown on โฃDissent
Tunisia, once hailedโข as a successโข story of the Arab โขSpring, is now facing severe criticism from international rights organizations over a sustained crackdown โon political opposition, media, and civil society. The shift began dramatically in July 2021 when President Kais Saied dissolved parliament and assumed expanded executive powers, allowing him to rule by decree.
Since then, numerous critics of Saied โฃhaveโข been arrested and prosecuted. โขA new constitution enshrining these expanded powers was ratified in 2022 following a referendum widely considered boycotted. A controversial “fake news” law, โenacted the same year, has further restricted โคfreedom of expression, leading to the prosecution and detention of journalistsโ andโค lawyers.
Recent months haveโ seen increased pressure on organizations.โ Amnesty International reports that at least 14 Tunisian and internationalโค ngos have had their activities โtemporarily suspended,โข including โthe Tunisian Association โof Democratic Women and the World โOrganisation against Torture.โฃ
A notably concerning โฃcase involves over 30 individuals sentenced to lengthy prison terms in a mass trial in April, labelled a “politically motivated ‘Conspiracy case'” by Human Rights โWatch. the defendants, including opposition figures, lawyers, activists, and researchers, were charged with plotting โto destabilize the country โฃand terrorism offenses, despite Human Rights Watch finding the โฃcharges unfounded and lacking credible evidence. Prison sentences range from four to 66 years.
Four of those detained are currentlyโ on hunger strike, with reports from lawyers indicating one experiencedโข physical violenceโข in โprison on November 11th. Jawhar Ben Mbarek, cofounder of the National Salvation front, began a hunger strike on October 29th to protest his arbitrary detention โand subsequent 18-yearโ sentence for “conspiracy against state security” and alleged membership inโ a terrorist group.
In solidarity, leaders from Tunisia’s major opposition parties have also initiated hunger โคstrikes. These โinclude Issam Chebbi, leader โof the Republican Party, also convicted in the April โฃtrial, and Rached โฃGhannouchi, the 84-year-old leader of theโค Ennahdhaโข party. Ghannouchi is already serving a substantial prison sentence,โ including over 20 years for money laundering – charges he denies -โ and a conviction for “conspiring against state security.”
Human Rights Watch โคhas called for the immediate overturning of โthe convictions and the release of all those unjustly detained, characterizing the entire legal process as a โฃ”masquerade.” โ The association urges Tunisia’s international partners to condemn the crackdown and advocate for fair trials and โฃrespectโค for the rule of โฃlaw.
