United Nations (UN) experts and global rights groups are warning that Tunisia’s human rights situation has taken a dramatic turn for the worse, pointing to an intensifying campaign by President Kais Saied’s government to systematically silence all forms of dissent.
The latest warning, delivered at the close of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, comes on the heels of the shocking 25-year prison sentence handed down to Sihem Bensedrine, the former President of Tunisia’s high-profile truth and dignity commission.
Human Rights Watch co-ordinator Nicola Paccamiccio reports that the repression is no longer just targeting political opponents. Authorities are now using criminal proceedings and administrative blocks to systematically dismantle the country’s independent legal system, civil society groups, and the free press.
The UN has highlighted several worrying trends, including criminal retaliation against independent judges like Anas Hmedi, who was prosecuted for defending judicial independence through professional associations. They also flagged the worsening situation for sub-Saharan migrants, who are facing dangerous collective expulsions at the Libyan and Algerian borders.
Despite fierce pushback from the Tunisian delegation in Geneva, who dismissed the allegations as interference, international observers are calling on UN member states to break their silence and publicly condemn the ongoing crackdown before the country’s civic space disappears entirely.
–ChannelAfrica–
