UN experts slam Tunisia for jailing lawyers over criticism

UN experts have accused Tunisian authorities of imprisoning lawyers to suppress dissent and silence criticism, as reported by First Post on July 14th.

In a joint statement, the special rapporteurs condemned the arrest and detention of legal professionals simply for fulfilling their duties or expressing their views.

“Targeting legal professionals solely for performing their role in the justice system or exercising their freedom of expression poses a direct threat to the integrity and fairness of legal proceedings in Tunisia,” the experts warned.

They cited multiple cases, including that of Ahmed Souab, a lawyer arrested in April on terrorism-related charges after claiming judges faced political pressure to hand down harsh sentences to opposition figures during a recent mass trial.

Since his 2021 power grab, President Kais Saied has ruled Tunisia by decree, eroding judicial independence and curbing dissent. Saied, first elected in 2019, has faced increasing criticism from rights groups over crackdowns on opposition voices.

The UN experts said such cases “appear designed to ensure critics of the executive are silenced.” They stressed that the repeated targeting of lawyers undermines the rule of law and weakens trust in Tunisia’s judicial system.

The experts urged Tunisian authorities to respect lawyers’ rights and allow them to carry out their professional duties “without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference.”

Margaret Satterthwaite, UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and Irene Khan, special rapporteur on freedom of expression, issued the statement after informing the Tunisian government of their concerns.

UN special rapporteurs report to the Human Rights Council but speak in an independent capacity. Their findings reflect ongoing scrutiny of Tunisia’s democratic backsliding and attacks on free expression.

First Post, Amnesty International, Asharq Al-Awsat, Maghrebi.org