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Concern is mounting over freedoms in Tunisia as President Kais Saied continues a “purge” that has seen politicians, judges and businessmen arrested or banned from travel, activists say.
On July 25, Saied sacked the government and suspended parliament for a month citing powers granted to him by the constitution, but has yet to reveal a “road map” for his decisions despite repeated demands. political parties.
Saied’s shock movement has raised uncertainties for Tunisia, where the Arab Spring began a decade ago, sparking pro-democracy uprisings across the region that toppled autocratic rulers.
Tunisia, hailed as a rare democratic achievement in the Middle East and North Africa, is mired in a political crisis made worse by severe economic hardship and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Several politicians, businessmen and judges, as well as MPs – who lost their immunity after Saied was suspended from the legislature – said they had been banned from traveling abroad or placed under house arrest without warning .
Their demands have sparked a chorus of condemnation, with critics denouncing “arbitrary” and “unjustified” measures.
But Saied offered a firm response to his criticisms during a recent visit to Tunis-Carthage International Airport.
“The freedom to travel is a constitutional right which I promise to guarantee,” he said.
“But some people will have to answer the legal authorities before they can travel.”
“Constitution violated”
Supporters of the Tunisian Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party demonstrate against President Kais Saied. By FETHI BELAID (AFP) Saied insists that his actions are guaranteed by article 80 of the constitution, which states that the head of state can take “exceptional measures” in the event of “imminent danger” to national security.
Professor of constitutional law Salsabil Klibi believes that the terms of the controversial article “are more dangerous for rights and freedoms than a state of emergency”.
“This implies the suspension of rights and freedoms and other guarantees related to it,” she said.
Sana Ben Achour, a professor specializing in public law, was among the many critics of Saied who had accused the president of having organized a “coup”.
The president’s measures “violate the constitution,” she said.
“He holds the power and, as far as he is concerned, he is the only one capable of interpreting the constitution,” she said.
In doing so, he effectively holds all the power in his hands, Ben Achour told local media.
Saied was a political newcomer before securing a landslide election victory in 2019.
He has been propelled to power amid growing frustrations at the failure of the political elite since the 2011 uprising.
Law scholar, lecturer at the Faculty of Judicial and Political Sciences in Tunis, Saïed immediately asserted his desire to renovate the political system through his vision of law.
“Authoritarian drift”
After President Kais Saied announced his month-long “state of emergency”, supporters also came to show their approval. By FETHI BELAID (AFP) A group of 45 judges have drafted a joint statement in recent days denouncing Saied’s travel bans as “authoritarian drift.”
They also condemned what they called “the president’s dreadful and unprecedented measures” to ban judges from traveling in and out of the country.
Saied’s nemesis, the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party – the largest bloc in parliament – said one of their leaders, Anouar Maarouf, was among those under house arrest.
The opposition party Courant Démocratique also accused the authorities of having banned one of its deputies from visiting France.
Like Ennahdha, the party said the decision was arbitrary and not based on any “court order”.
On Friday evening, the former head of Tunisia’s anti-corruption body, Chawki Tabib, said he had been under house arrest.
Former president of the Tunisian bar, Tabib said in a Facebook post that the move was “a flagrant violation” of his constitutionally guaranteed rights.
The 30-day deadline looms
I Watch, a Tunisian anti-corruption non-governmental group, said at least 14 members of parliament face prosecution or have been convicted of a series of crimes.
Among the deputies are Yassine Ayari, convicted by a military court in 2018 of having criticized the army, and Faycal Tebbini, convicted in a defamation case.
The media have also been targeted since Saied’s shock measures in July, including Al Jazeera TV.
The Qatari channel was closed by the police in the Tunisian capital and the keys to the premises confiscated. No reason was given for the closure.
With the deadline for his month-long suspension from parliament looming, Saied is expected to address the nation in the coming days to announce his future moves.
According to Ben Achour, he should extend the suspension of parliament, which is equivalent to suspending the constitution.
“And it can go on for years,” she said.
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