Tunisia: Ex-official seeks UN help to release him from house arrest

Former head of the Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in Tunisia, Chawki Tabib, called on the United Nations to help him end his house arrest, which was imposed by the Ministry of Interior after security forces stormed and closed the commission headquarters.

In a Facebook post, Tabib explicitly accused Ridha Gharsallaoui, the official in charge of managing the interior ministry, of committing the crime of enforced disappearance against him and other violations of his human and professional rights.

Tabib said: “In light of the continued attacks and violations of my civil and professional rights as a result of an unjust decision taken by the minister responsible for the management of the affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, who ordered placing me under house arrest without even allowing me to obtain a copy of the relevant order.”

He continued: “With the help of a lawyer in Switzerland, I filed on 24 August, 2021 a first grievance before the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and a second one before the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers in Geneva against Ridha Gharsallaoui, the minister in charge of managing the affairs of the Ministry of Interior, and anyone who will prove to be involved in the crime of enforced disappearance and a number of other crimes committed against me; and let everyone assume his responsibilities.”

A few days ago, the Tunisian President Kais Saied decided to dismiss Anwar Ben Hassan, the Tunisian Anti-corruption Authority (INLUCC) secretary general, while the authorities closed the commission’s headquarters and placed its former chairman, Tabib, under house arrest.

Tunisia has been witnessing a political crisis since Saied took exceptional measures on 25 July, which coincided with the eruption of popular demonstrations in a number of governorates calling for the overthrow of the entire ruling system and accusing the opposition of failing to play its role in light of the ongoing political, economic and health crisis.

The majority of Tunisian parties rejected Saied’s measure, as some considered the presidential decisions a “coup against the constitution,” while others saw it as the only way to fix the current situation.

READ: Tunisia lawyers slam as ‘dangerous’ closure of anti-corruption body