In Tunisia, the crackdown on political opposition figures continues as more than 30 law professors have called for the release of several individuals who have been detained for over 14 months without trial. Since February 2023, around 40 critics of President Kais Saied have been facing charges of “conspiracy against the state,” with eight of them still in detention.
Despite the 14-month legal limit for pre-trial detention having passed, the detainees have not been released. Their lawyers expected them to be freed earlier this month after their detention was extended twice, but a court hearing on their case has been postponed until May 2.
The law professors have condemned the prolonged detention of the political opponents, stating that it is a violation of Tunisian law. They accused the authorities of putting the detainees in “forced detention” and called for their immediate release.
Amnesty International has also called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of the detainees, urging President Saied to stop the targeted arrests of critics for exercising their rights to freedom of expression.
President Saied, who seized sweeping powers in July 2021, has faced criticism for his crackdown on opponents as Tunisia prepares for presidential elections later this year. The United Nations has expressed alarm over the deepening crackdown on political opponents and civil society in Tunisia.
The detainees include prominent figures such as Abdelhamid Jelassi, Jawhar Ben Mbarek, and Khayam Turki. As the country grapples with political tensions, the fate of these detainees remains uncertain, raising concerns about the state of democracy and human rights in Tunisia.