In the space of less than three weeks, Tunisian President Kais Saied has rounded up and arrested at least thirteen people from different walks of life who share one thing in common: they have all publicly criticized the consolidation of power by the president. Those detained are lawyers, judges, activists, former members of parliament, and members of different political formations.
Some of those arrested include Ayachi Hammani, a human rights lawyer who has been accused of spreading false information; and also a journalist and director of the privately owned radio station, Mosaïque FM, who was summoned for questioning by the counterterrorism brigades. The recent arrests have been preceded by a series of actions that started in July 2021 by President Saied to consolidate his grip on power and to forge a so-called ‘new Republic.’
In less than two years, President Saied has taken actions that have eroded the democratic gains that were widely heralded by the international community after the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings – the Jasmine Revolution, in particular - that ultimately led to the downfall of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
President Saied first suspended the parliament and later launched an onslaught on civic freedoms, including arbitrary arrests, attacks on the media and protesters, and the dissolution of other democratic institutions that were created to check the excesses of the state – this included a referendum and elections that merely rubber stamped a new constitution. Saied also introduced a new cyber crime decree that criminalizes the spread of ‘false information,’ including ‘false rumors’ and ‘fake news’ on digital platforms. The decree has been used to target journalists, activists and government critics, including Nizar Bahloul, editor of the online news outlet, Business News, who was summoned by the Anti-Crime Squad after he was critical of the Prime Minister. The authorities also opened a criminal investigation against lawyer Mehdi Zagrouba following comments critical of the Justice Minister on social media.
What’s more, the recent arrests of critics was also accompanied by nationalist rhetoric by the President, targeting migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa. The President accused migrants of attempting to change the demographic composition of Tunisia and accused them,without evidence, of committing mass crimes in the country. There are about 21,000 Black Africans living in Tunisia at the moment. What followed President Saied’s populist rhetoric has been a wave of attacks targeting Black African communities, including acts of vandalism, physical attacks, arbitrary arrests, acts of intimidation, and destruction of homes rendering many homeless.
Will the international community stand by and watch?
The international community should be worried that Tunisia’s rapid democratic decline will only add to a list of countries – like Egypt and Algeria – where raising concerns over human rights issues is criminalized. The African Union responded proactively to the anti-immigration utterances by Saied, but it should do more than that by placing Tunisia on the spotlight with calls and actions to respect the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, of which Tunisia is a signatory. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union has been silent on Tunisia so far, but should act now to ensure that the country repeals all presidential decrees issued over the last two years and for a return to constitutional democracy.
The European Union and the United States should also apply pressure on Saied to respect human rights, ideally by using trade and foreign aid as an incentive to force the Tunisian authorities to respect its democratic institutions. All international partners – including the EU, AU, International Monetary Fund, and the U.S. – should also convene to focus on two main strategies: hold an urgent conference on Tunisia during which they agree on actions such as calling for inclusive political dialogue between the government, civil society, trade unions and lawyers, and to collectively convert Tunisia’s current debts into much-needed development projects.
Sitting on the sidelines is not an option. Tunisia will only further descend into full-on authoritarianism if that is the case.
David Kode is advocacy and campaigns lead for CIVICUS who writes on constitutional issues, African elections, human rights, and defending civic space
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vanguard Africa, the Vanguard Africa Foundation, or its staff.