Tunisia’s parties condemn UAE’s “scandalous” travel ban on Tunisian women

Tunisian political parties, on Saturday, condemned the UAE’s decision to ban Tunisian women from traveling to or from its territory and onboard its planes. They called on the Tunisian authorities to take diplomatic measures to reverse the UAE decision, which they described as “thoughtless” and against all diplomatic norms and procedures of international transport.

The condemnations came hours after a female Tunisian writer, Maha Jouini, was prevented from traveling on a UAE plane from Beirut to Beijing, China.

In a Facebook post, the spokesman of Nidaa Tounés Party, Mongi Harbaoui, criticised the UAE and its local supporters in the media and political parties. He accused certain politicians, whom he did not name, of working as agents of the UAE and selling their dignity. He added: “The Tunisian woman has exposed their failings once again; suddenly many of them have become dumb and abandoned their pens, while human rights activists have suddenly disappeared. The right-wing has remained silent and the left-wing has vanished; we didn’t even see or hear those who have advocated moderation.”

On its part, the Social Democratic Path Party, a partner in the government of Youssef Chahed, has denounced in an official statement what it called the discriminatory and arbitrary UAE decision that targets Tunisian women and offends the Tunisian people as a whole. The party called on the Tunisian government to take strict measures to deter such unfair and humiliating decisions against the Tunisian people.

The SDP called on Tunisians to boycott UAE airlines and denounce this discriminatory decision. They urged the UAE authorities to learn from Tunisia’s experience in promoting equality and respect for the rights of all genders.