(Adnkronos) – On the occasion of the anniversary of the “Tunisian revolution of December 17–January 14”, 15 years after a popular uprising driven by demands for dignity, freedom, and social justice, Amnesty International Tunisia has expressed deep concern about the continuous deterioration of the human rights situation in the country. What should be an occasion for remembrance, recognition, and renewed democratic momentum, is today set in a context marked by the imprisonment of political dissidents, the stifling of critical voices, and the erosion of the revolution’s main achievements, a note denounces.
Among those detained are historical figures of the human rights movement, including Ayachi Hammami, a prominent lawyer sentenced to five years in prison and on his forty-second day of hunger strike; Salwa Grissa, director of the Association for the Promotion of the Right to Difference; as well as the legal representatives of the anti-racist association Mnemty and the association for the defense of children’s rights Enfants de la lune, in Médenine, whose legal proceedings are still awaiting outcome. Their judicial persecution is part of a broader framework of delegitimization of the revolution and authoritarian reorganization of its legacy.
Amnesty International raises the alarm about the proliferation of attacks on the independence of justice, through pressure exerted on judges, proceedings against lawyers, and the increasingly frequent use of justice for political ends. These drifts translate into legal proceedings initiated against magistrates, including Anas Hmedi, president of the Tunisian Judges Association, and against lawyer Ahmed Souab, sentenced to five years in prison, as well as numerous investigations against lawyers, including Dalila Ben Mbarek Msaddak.
In this context, Amnesty International is particularly concerned about the criminalization of individuals belonging to the political opposition, which occurs through the abusive use of legal proceedings. These cases, often based on weak or unsubstantiated evidence, are part of a strategy aimed at delegitimizing and silencing peaceful dissent, circumventing guarantees related to personal liberty, the presumption of innocence, and the right to a fair trial.
This drift is particularly evident in the so-called “conspiracy” cases, with the conviction of over 37 people in the “conspiracy 1” case and more than 34 people in the “conspiracy 2” case, in addition to the proliferation of proceedings against political figures. The arrest and repeated detention of presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel clearly illustrate the authorities’ desire to silence peaceful dissent.
In parallel, freedoms of expression, press, association, and peaceful assembly continue to be severely restricted. Journalists, activists, and citizens suffer persecution and intimidation for expressing critical opinions, in a climate of fear incompatible with Tunisia’s international commitments. Civil society organizations are subject to delegitimization campaigns, administrative restrictions, and legal proceedings aimed at criminalizing associative action and solidarity.
Restrictions on the freedom of peaceful assembly are also manifested through the repression of citizen mobilizations in favor of economic, social, and environmental rights. In Gabès, the peaceful and legitimate protests of the population against the severe pollution caused by toxic fumes from the Tunisian Chemical Group’s plants were repressed by security forces, who excessively used tear gas. The repression of mobilizations for environmental justice and for economic and social rights clearly highlights a security-oriented approach that becomes evident when communities denounce violations of their right to health and a healthy environment, to the detriment of the authorities’ obligation to protect them. These events reflect, more generally, the worrying shrinking of civic space in Tunisia.
Human rights violations committed against migrants, asylum seekers, or refugees, particularly black individuals or those from sub-Saharan Africa, have increased in frequency and severity, in a context marked by the recent trivialization of racist and discriminatory discourses spread on television, as well as the impunity that accompanies them. Amnesty International’s latest report, titled “No one hears you when you scream” the dangerous turn of migration policy in Tunisia, shows how, fueled by racist discourses from political figures, Tunisian authorities have proceeded in a targeted and racially-based manner with arrests and detentions, dangerous maritime interceptions, collective expulsions of tens of thousands of people towards Algeria and Libya, and have subjected refugees and migrants to torture and other forms of ill-treatment, including sexual violence and rape, while simultaneously repressing civil society that provided them with essential support.
On the occasion of this highly symbolic anniversary, Amnesty International Tunisia urges the Tunisian authorities to break with current repressive practices and to fully renew their commitment to the values that animated the revolution: freedom, dignity, and justice. Human rights are not a political choice but a legal and moral obligation towards all people in Tunisia.
Amnesty International Tunisia calls on the authorities to: fully respect their national and international obligations; release all individuals detained for peacefully exercising their rights; guarantee the independence of justice, protect civic space, and place human rights at the center of all public policy; repeal Decree-Law No. 54, whose abusive application continues to be used to criminalize peaceful expression, prosecute opposition members, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, and unduly restrict freedom of expression.
