Tunisia: 5 parties reject gov't plan to ‘liquidate’ opponents

Five Tunisian parties yesterday expressed their rejection of the authorities’ plan to resort to Decree 54 to eradicate political opponents.

In a joint statement the Workers’ Party, Republican Party, Democratic Current Party, the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties (FDTL) and Democratic Modernist Pole said: “Tunisian public was surprised by the decision to refer Ayachi Hammami, the coordinator of the defence committee for the dismissed judges, to investigation on charges of using communication systems to spread false rumours with the aim of attacking public security.”

It added that these prosecutions “confirm the authority’s continuous endeavour to involve the judiciary and exploit it in political liquidations.”

According to Article 24 of Decree 54 of 2022 issued on 13 September, a penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 dinars (about $16,000) can be imposed on “anyone who deliberately uses information and communication networks and systems to produce, promote, or publish, send or prepare false news, statements, rumours, fabricated or forged documents, or information falsely attributed to others with the aim of infringing the rights of others, harming public security or national defence, or spreading terror among the population.”

Tunisia has faced a severe political crisis since July 2021 when President Kais Saied monopolised power, dissolved parliament and held a referendum on the constitution.

Saied says he took the measures to save the state from “total collapse.”

OPINION: Is Tunisia chasing its people away?