Geneva – The UN rights chief on Tuesday expressed alarm over a deepening crackdown in Tunisia, as Tunisian police detained a senior opposition politician and the head of an independent radio station.
The arrests of former justice minister Noureddine Bhiri, a senior figure in the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, and Mosaique FM director Noureddine Boutar late on Monday were the latest in a crackdown that has targeted activists, former lawyers and a prominent businessman.
“UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk today expressed his concern over the deepening crackdown against perceived political opponents and civil society in Tunisia, including attacks on the independence of the judiciary,” Turk’s spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva.
“Since Saturday, at least nine people, including former civil servants, have been reportedly arrested and some detained, on security and graft charges,” he said.
Tunisia has seen a spike in the arrest and prosecution of politicians, journalists and others since President Kais Saied seized wide-ranging powers in a dramatic move against parliament in July 2021.
??#Tunisia: UN Human Rights Chief @volker_turk concerned over deepening crackdown against perceived political opponents & civil society, incl arrests since Saturday. Calls on govt to release those arbitrarily detained & uphold independence of judiciary: https://t.co/k8G9Z7oNLb pic.twitter.com/WJwPt7LNQQ
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) February 14, 2023
Since then, Saied’s opponents have accused him of authoritarianism in the birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.
Monday’s arrests came two days after the detention of tycoon Kamel Eltaief, former top Ennahdha figure Abdelhamid Jelassi and political activist Khayam Turki.
Laurence said the UN rights office was calling on Tunisian authorities to “respect due process and fair trial standards in all judicial proceedings and to release immediately all those arbitrarily detained.”
He said Tunisia had “increasingly initiated criminal proceedings against perceived opponents” and expressed concern that “some of those held on charges connected to criticising the government have been tried in military courts”.
“We call on the authorities to cease immediately practices of trying civilians before military tribunals.”
“We call on the authorities to work towards bringing justice sector legislation, procedures and practices into line with applicable international norms and standards,” he added.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@UNHumanRights
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