UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on May 7 urged Tunisian authorities to halt their persecution of civil society organizations, journalists, human rights activists and members of the judiciary, who have been subjected to criminal proceedings in retaliation for their criticisms of government policies and the president’s consolidation of executive power.
Türk criticized the growing trend of the government’s infringement on the fundamental right to freedom of expression, stating:
Restrictions on fundamental freedoms must remain exceptional, grounded in clear law, be necessary and proportionate to pursue a legitimate objective, non-discriminatory and accompanied by due process and effective judicial oversight. Upholding the rule of law in Tunisia requires stronger institutional safeguards, the protection of civic space, and inclusive, rights based legislative reform, in line with the country’s international human rights commitments.
The government’s ongoing crackdown on the media has seen the enactment of dangerously vague laws filled with ambiguous provisions, Türk said. Such provisions, which lack adequate specificity and internationally-mandated legal safeguards, have been weaponized by authorities, leading to selective enforcement. For instance, in late April, journalist Zied El Heni was arrested and charged under a new law that criminalizes the use of telecommunication networks to “harm others.”
The main issue with this law is that no guidance has been provided as to what the word “harm” constitutes, or what degree of commission of harm would fall under the scope of the statute. This can be clearly seen in another case last year, in which 28 journalists, including Mourad Zghidi, were arrested and sentenced for exhibiting conduct that fell under the broad scope of a 2022 law that ostensibly tackles crime related to information and communication systems, but has been assailed as vaguely worded and susceptible to political weaponization.
In addition to the crackdown on media workers, Tunisian authorities have targeted members of the judicial branch of government. Charges have been brought against Judge Anas Hmedi, president of the Association of Tunisian Judges, over a protest he organized to oppose government interference in the judiciary. Judge Hammadi Rahmani was sentenced in absentia in April 2025 by a Tunisian court to three years’ imprisonment on charges of “insulting others on social media.”
The arbitrary nature of the charges against, along his violent arrest and subsequent detention, were compounded by the fact that he still had judicial immunity from criminal proceedings when the charges were first unveiled. The sustained decline of the human rights situation in the country has ensued since the events of July 2021, when President Kais Saied suspended parliament, dismissed the prime minister, and declared that he would rule by decree.
From JURIST, May 10. Used with permission.
Image: Grunge Love
Note: Activist Saber Ben Chouchane, who received a death sentence for social media posts critical of the government last year, was pardoned by President Kais Saied after an outcry from international human rights groups in October. (Al Jazeera)
