Since February 22, Tunisian authorities have arrested three people critical of President Kais Saied, bringing to at least 12 the number of public figures deemed critical of him behind bars, Human Rights Watch said today. today. The president accused them of being “ terrorists ” and “ traitors ”.
These arrests are the most important since Saied assumed extraordinary powers on July 25, 2021, and announced that he was taking over the supervision of the prosecution. It started with a first wave of arrests between February 11 and 15, which targeted at least nine people. Authorities arrested three other opposition leaders, Chaima Issa and Issam Chebbi on February 22, and Jouahar Ben Mbarek on February 24.
On February 14, in a televised address, President Saied called without naming those arrested ” terrorists ” and ” traitors ” and accused them, even before they were formally charged, of ” conspiracy against the security interior and exterior of the State “, remarks which undermine the presumption of innocence. Saied also warned on February 22 that ” anyone who dares to exonerate them is their accomplice “, once again outdoing his attacks on the independence of prosecutors and judges.
“ After taking over the oversight of the prosecution and sacking judges right and left, President Saied is now taking on his critics with complete freedom,” said Salsabil Chellali, director of Human Rights Watch’s office at Human Rights Watch. Tunisia. “Saied calls them terrorists and without even bothering to gather credible evidence.”
On the afternoon of February 22, agents of the anti-terrorist brigade arrested Chebbi, leader of the Jomhouri (republican) party, in the street in Tunis and searched his home without presenting an arrest warrant, according to what explained his wife to Kashf TV.
Issa, who is active in the National Salvation Front, an opposition coalition, was arrested on February 22 by anti-terrorist forces. On February 24, another opposition figure and member of the National Salvation Front, Ben Mbarek, was arrested.
Authorities have yet to reveal the specific charges against Chebbi, Issa and Ben Mbarek.
The first wave of arrests between February 11 and 15 concerned at least nine people, including five opponents or critics of the authorities, two magistrates, a businessman and the director of a radio station. All are still detained, including a judge who is incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital. Three of the defense attorneys for those arrested told Human Rights Watch that the serious charges against their clients are not supported by the evidence in the case files.
Among the opposition figures arrested are Khayam Turki and Abdelhamid Jelassi, arrested at their homes on 11 February. Both were arrested under an anti-terrorism law that does not sufficiently protect detainees against abuse: it provides for custody of up to 15 days, including 48 hours without access to a lawyer.
Khayam Turki, a former member of the opposition Ettakatol party, was questioned about his political activities and meeting US diplomats at his home, his lawyer, Samir Dilou, said. Police interrogating Abelhamid Jelassi, a former Ennahda party official, asked him about his meetings with foreign researchers and critical statements he made to the media about President Saied’s coup in July 2021, which Jelassi called a “ coup ,” his family told Human Rights Watch.
Nourredine Bhiri, leader of the Ennahada party and minister of justice from 2011 to 2013, was arrested on February 13 and charged with ” seeking to change the nature of the state ” under article 72 of the criminal code, which provides capital punishment, in connection with statements he made to the media on January 8, during a demonstration by the National Salvation Front, according to Dilou. Bhiri had been arbitrarily detained for two months in early 2022 and released without being charged.
Mosaïque FM radio director Nourredine Boutar, arrested on February 13, faces charges of money laundering and “ illicit enrichment ”. The National Union of Tunisian Journalists denounced the lawsuits against Boutar as a political affair aimed at intimidating journalists and restricting press freedom. His arrest is directly linked to the scathing tone of the radio and in particular of its flagship daily program, the “Midi Show”, which is very critical of Saied, his lawyer, Dalila Msaddek, told Human Rights Watch, saying that the police asked his client about the editorial line of Mosaïque, including the recruitment of journalists within the radio.
Lawyer, activist and former minister Lazhar Akremi was also arrested on the evening of February 13 after police raided and searched his home, Dilou said. Also arrested by the anti-terrorist police, Akremi is still in custody at the Bouchoucha detention center in Tunis. No charges have yet been brought against Akremi, but the search warrant for his home by the police – shared on social media – refers to suspicions of “conspiracy against the internal and external security of the State “.
Walid Jalled, a former member of parliament – dissolved in March 2022 by Saied – and president of a local football club, was taken into custody on February 15. On February 22, he was formally charged with money laundering and “ illicit enrichment,” his lawyer, Mabrouk Korchid, told Human Rights Watch. However, Korchid noted that Jalled was interrogated by the Counter Terrorism Squad about his political activities and ties to Saied’s critics, suggesting that the real motive for his arrest is political.
“The message sent by these arrests is that if you dare to speak out, the President can have you arrested and publicly expose you, while his minions try to build a case against you based on things you have said or people you have said. encountered”, concluded Salsabil Chellali.
