Tunisia suspends second activist group amid ongoing crackdown

The Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (FTDES) have received a one-month suspension on its activities from local authorities, The New Arab via Reuters reported on 27th October.

FTDES are a prominent civil rights and migrant advocacy organization in Tunisia. According to the non-governmental organization, they received an official letter from the state ordering a suspension of their activities for the next month.

While FTDES did not disclose the reasons authorities gave in the letter, they added that their group had been subject to successive financial and tax audits conducted since April. FTDES went on to assert that their organization fits within all legal and administrative procedures set by the state.

FTDES are the second activist body to receive a suspension from Tunisian authorities this month. On October 25th, reports indicated that a women’s rights group, The Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD), faced a similar suspension of their activities.

These suspensions likely are a response to the increasing mobilization of non-governmental activist groups across the country.

On October 1oth, activists marched outside a power plant in Gabes following suspicions it was poisoning locals. The Tunisian government cracked down hard on these protests, jailing many of the activists involved in these protests.

This also follows a man being sentenced to death following anti-government posts he made on Facebook. As such, these actions reflect increasing concerns about Tunisia’s autocratic practices as a nation.

Ultimately, Tunisia’s progressively harsh responses to protests, activist groups and political opposition see the country amble towards the restriction of expression. There have not only been suspensions towards activist groups, but also harsh punishments enacted on lawyers, politicians and political opponents that undermine freedom of speech in the country.

The New Arab via Reuters and AFP, Maghrebi.org,