One year after Kais Saied’s dismissal of 57 judges, Tunisia’s judiciary has never been less independent. Working under pressure and fearing retaliation from the executive power, Tunisian judges have never fared worse. Not even under the Ben Ali regime, according to a representative of the profession.
Belaid and Brahmi Assassinations: autopsy of an ill-stricken justice system
Revelations made in early February by the Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi Defense Committee were nothing short of explosive. Certain magistrates, including the president of the High Judicial Council, have been accused of covering up the truth and collusion with Ennahdha.
Kais Saied and the Judiciary: A Clash of Powers?
Judiciary officials are under fire from President Kais Saied. Saied does not mince his words when it comes to the country’s magistrates, reproaching them for complicity with all kinds of corrupt individuals. Accused of promoting impunity, magistrates have defended themselves by pointing to political interference in their domain. It’s open war on a battlefield where needed reforms have been blocked.
Global Surveillance Monitoring – Nawaat Partners with Privacy International for Legal Reform in Tunisia
Defining the core of Nawaat’s collaborations with Privacy International, Sami Ben Gharbia points to the present legal battle that encompasses the Technical Telecommunications Agency mandated by decree and the (leaked) draft law concerning cybercrime, both of which must be addressed by «deconstructing the legal discourse of these threats and coming up with a proposal that will respect human rights.»
Opening Legislation and Public Perception to Whistleblowers, Muckrakers, Principled Leakers in Tunisia
As it is theoretically and practically in the best interest of civil society and government authorities of a democratic society that citizens are vocal and active in the name of transparency and accountability, practices in the vein of whistleblowing, muckraking, and ‘principled leaking’ are not to be condemned but supported, the responsibles of exposing information previously undisclosed at the expense of the common good not persecuted but protected by the law.
Amami and Mlouka Case Dismissed – and Rule of Law Prevails over Police Force
Lawyers, academics, politicians, civil society, more than one-hundred fifty organizations, Tunisians and internationals were part of the movement to FreeAzyz Amami and Sabri Ben Mlouka: democratic transition demands that the misuse of judicial power inherent in police state be replaced by the precedence of an independent justice.
One Hundred Days of Lentitude – Jomâa on His Work in Office
Citizens, politicians, analysts, and union members expecting concrete decisions and well-elaborated intitiatives in Jomâa’s press conference last Wednesday felt either marked disappointment or resignation to the Prime Minister’s consistently long-winded and half-hearted commitments to real reform.
Activist Azyz Amamy and Sabri Ben Mlouka Arrested, Law 52 Polemic Continues
Thirty-one year old blogger and activist Aziz Amami was arrested yesterday, May 12, 2014 in La Goulette, a beachside neighborhood of the capital. Some time between ten and eleven o’clock Monday night, Amami and his friend, photographer Sabri Ben Mlouka, were purportedly pulled over and detained for the possession and consumption of marijuana.
May 1, 2014 – Parliament Passes Electoral Law, Citizens Invoke Right to Work
As ANC deputies finalized the electoral law at Parliament chambers in Bardo, citizens filled capital streets with their presence, carrying posters and flags, chanting and singing the national anthem in honor of the international Labor Day holiday.
The Martyrs of the Revolution Affair– State Justice at Odds with Public Opinion
Is the ‘Martyrs of the Revolution Affair’ that has inundated Tunisian media over the past week symbolic of an already-failing post-revolutionary justice system? Or does it instead reflect the reappearance of the same sort of political corruption that thrived under old regime? Either way, the gaping division between a recent decision announced by Tunisia’s military tribunal and public opinion has Tunisians up in arms or at least on edge about the political, legal, and moral integrity of the State.
Tunisia: Still Waiting for Truth, Accountability and…Planning for Elections
Another week in Tunisia’s politics is charged with mixed emotions. For now, in light of the unresolved and reinvigorated confusion surrounding the Belaid case and the elusive progress being made in election-planning processes, public demands for truth, accountability, and productivity reflect a citizenry eager for change, and still waiting for signs of it.
Tunisia: Improve Guarantees for Judicial Independence – Ensure Judiciary Has Powers to Protect Human Rights
(Tunis, January 14, 2014) – As Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly (NCA) is discussing the chapter on the judicial powers in […]
Journalists on Strike Against Infringement of Free expression
On Saturday, the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, with support from the Union of Culture and Information, organized a general press strike held on September 17 to “oppose attacks against journalists from authorities who are desperate to treat journalists as criminals on the basis of repressive laws,” according to a press statement.
Tunisia: Spate of Prosecutions for Free Speech. Journalists, Union Leader Prosecuted for Criticizing Officials
Human Rights Watch : (Tunis, September 13, 2013) – Tunisian authorities should quash the detention of a prominent activist and […]
Human Rights Watch / Tunisia: Rappers sentenced to prison for artwork, writing, lyrics deemed ‘insulting’
Tunisia: Rappers Sentenced to Prison String of Prosecutions for Artwork, Writing, Lyrics Deemed ‘Insulting’ (Tunis, September 5, 2013) – A […]
Amnesty International: Freedom of expression on trial in Tunisia
PRESS RELEASE 2 July 2013 The trials this week of four Tunisians in different court cases for expressing opinions critical […]
Weld El 15: Two Years for “Rapped Retaliation”?
Weld El 15, the young rapper, was sentenced to two years of prison for singing “policemen are dogs” (البوليسية كلاب) and convicted for public indecency and cop contempt. Is it that I do not understand the law? Or is it that these laws defy those of logic?
Timeline: Threats to Freedom of Expression in Post-revolution Tunisia
Outdated press and penal codes continue threatening artists, bloggers, whistleblowers, critics and media figures, while the judicial system suffers from a restrictive and repressive legislation and has yet to be reformed. So, how long is this trend expected to have an impact on Tunisia’s Freedom of expression?