Articles for Tunisia

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has expressed concern over the escalating crackdown in Tunisia against civil society and political opponents of President Kaïs Saïed.

The spokesman for the High Commissioner, Jeremy Lawrence, told reporters in Geneva that at least nine people had reportedly been arrested and some detained-on security and graft charges.

On 07 February 2023, Alkarama and the Association of Victims of Torture in Tunisia (AVTT) submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the situation of Bechir AKREMI, a Tunisian magistrate arbitrarily suspended and victim of intimidation and reprisals in the exercise of his functions.

The Tunisian judiciary in the hands of the executive

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process conducted by States within the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, consists of "reviewing the human rights achievements of all UN Member States".

On 17 August 2022, Alkarama and the Association of Victims of Torture in Tunisia (AVTT) addressed the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression regarding the case of Mr Salah Attia, a journalist and political analyst, who was sentenced on Tuesday to three months in prison by the Permanent Military Tribunal of Tunis.

Mr Salah Attia was arrested on 11 June 2022 by agents in civilian clothes while he was in a café in the Ibn Khaldoun district.

The human rights situation in Tunisia will be examined for the fourth time in the framework of its next Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations Human Rights Council scheduled for 2-18 November 2022 in Geneva.

On the evening of Monday, 7 March 2022, and after 67 days of detention, the Tunisian authorities released Mr Noureddine Al-Behairi, Ennahda parliamentarian and former Minister of Justice, as well as Mr Fathi Al-Baladi, former adviser to the Ministry of the Interior. Following their arrests, Alkarama had referred their cases to UN experts.

After their urgent appeal to the Special Rapporteur on Torture on 6 January 2022, the Association of Victims of Torture in Tunisia (AVTT), Free Voice, AFD International and Alkarama have also addressed the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) regarding the situation of the former Minister of Justice and MP, Mr. Noureddine BHIRI and former adviser to the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Fathi BELDI.

On January 6, 2022, the Association of Victims of Torture in Tunisia (AVTT), Free Voice, AFD International and Alkarama submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture the case of Mr. Noureddine BHIRI, a lawyer and former Minister of Justice and Mr. Fathi BELDI, a former adviser to the Ministry of the Interior.

On 15 September 2021, the Association of Victims of Torture in Tunisia (AVTT) and Alkarama addressed the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention regarding the situation of the former Minister of Information Technology and Digital Economy, Mr Anouar MAAROUF, and the MP and President of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, Mr Yousri DALY, who have been under house arrest since 05 and 18 August 2021 respectively.

In view of the follow-up to the third periodic review of Tunisia by the Committee against Torture (CAT), Alkarama submitted to the Committee its evaluation report on the implementation of the priority recommendations issued by the experts following the review of May 2016.