HRW calls on Tunisia president to stop targeting judges

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Tunisian President Kais Saied to immediately stop targeting judges in the country.

In a report published on Monday, the rights watchdog said Saied is “intensifying his attacks against judicial independence” as part of what he called an anti-corruption campaign.

It also called on the Tunisian authorities to immediately reinstate judges and prosecutors that Saied had arbitrarily dismissed.

According to the report, the Justice Ministry has refused to reinstate 49 magistrates despite an administrative court order on 9 August 2022 to do so, a ruling that authorities cannot appeal.

In this regard, Tunisia Director at HRW, Salsabil Chellali, said: “These blows to judicial independence reflect the government’s determination to subjugate prosecutors and judges to the executive branch, at the expense of Tunisians’ right to a fair trial before independent and impartial judges.”.

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“The fight against corruption should not be instrumentalized for political purposes and should be carried out in compliance with the rule of law,” she added.

The refusal to reinstate the dismissed judges and prosecutors is among the recent measures targeting the judiciary taken by Saied since he seized power on 25 July 2021 and dismissed the government.

Last June, the Tunisian president dismissed 57 judges, including the head of the dissolved Supreme Judicial Council, on the pretext of “preserving social peace and the state,” after accusing them of corruption and covering up defendants in terrorism cases.

Tunisia’s president Kais Saied is bleeding the country – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]