UN experts express alarm over deteriorating situation for lawyers in Tunisia News
Dodos photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UN experts express alarm over deteriorating situation for lawyers in Tunisia

UN human rights experts expressed grave concern over the deterioration of condition faced by lawyers in Tunisia over the past year. The experts highlighted situations of escalating harassment, arbitrary arrests, and violations of the right to a fair trial.

Over 60 lawyers have been under criminal investigation since June 2024, with many facing severe charges ranging from spreading fake news to offending public officials, based on broad legal definitions. High-profile arrests of lawyers have included Ahmed Souab, Sonia Dahmani, Dalila Msaddak, Islem Hamza, Ayachi Hamami, Ghazi Chaouachi, Mehdi Zagrouba, and Lazhar Akremi. Further, it has been noted that the harassment and intimidation of lawyers manifests in forms such as criminal prosecution, physical aggression, and legal restrictions, and if convicted, the lawyers usually face severe penalties such as lengthy prison sentences and heavy fines.

The experts called on Tunisia to comply with international standards, stating:

We call on Tunisia to comply with international standards providing that lawyers should be able to carry out all their professional duties without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference. They should not face prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognised professional duties, standards and ethics. Like all human beings, lawyers are entitled to freedom of expression and opinion.

The crackdown on lawyers has come in the wake of an increasingly restrictive political environment since President Kais Saied began ruling Tunisia by decree after a power grab in 2021. This also comes after Amnesty International highlighted the deteriorating situation and increased targeting of lawyers and pointing out it’s undermining access to justice in March 2024. This also comes after the Tunisian Lawyers Council had conducted a nationwide strike after police conducted a raid on the headquarters of Tunisia’s bar association and arrested a prominent critic of the government. Further, the International Commission of Jurists had also condemned Tunisia’s resort to fake news and counter-terrorism laws to arbitrarily arrest, detain, and prosecute lawyers in January of this year.

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