Tunisia: “No judiciary, no law.”
In a protest organized by the National Salvation Front, many Tunisians have demonstrated in Tunis to demand the release of political prisoners. In an article on December 24, 2024, the Anadoula Agency reported that protestors gathered outside the Court of Cassation in Tunis to “defend the political prisoners who have been jailed for nearly two years and suffering in their prison cells”. Banners held by protestors included slogans like, “No judiciary, no law. Honorable people in prisons”. Many of these political prisoners have been jailed for conspiring against the state by President Kais Saied.
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Kais Saied, in an effort to consolidate his own power, suspended parliament, rewrote the constitution, and assumed executive authority in July 2021. Since, those who have criticized his absolute power have been arrested on charges of conspiracy against state security and defamation. Those who have been arrested have spoken out for human rights, are members of opposition parties, or have promoted civil disobedience against the state. The families of these prisoners have sought help from international institutions such as the International Criminal Court in 2023 to investigate the crackdown on political opposition in Tunisia.
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However, as of December 2024, Saied has imprisoned more than 20 political opposition figures, maintained his absolute power and limited the ability of opposition groups to form. The National Salvation Front is a coalition of five opposition parties in Tunisia who are risking their freedom to demand the release of those who have been detained. Yet without support for the political opposition in Tunisia, with the issue being largely ignored by the international community, it seems unlikely that enough pressure can be mounted against Saied.
Anadoula Agency
