Tunisia rights groups call for immediate release of political detainees

A consortium of Tunisian organisations and personalities yesterday called for the immediate release of “political detainees” detained on charges of “conspiring against state security”.

This came in a joint statement issued by 11 organisations, including the Tunisian Human Rights League, Al-Bawsala Association and the Resilience Coalition and 20 personalities and human rights activists, including renowned philosopher and anthropologist, Youssef Siddiq, and the former head of the elections commission, Kamal Jendoubi.

The signatories called on the Tunisian judiciary to assume its constitutional role in “protecting rights and freedoms, respecting evidence of innocence, and enabling them to have fair trials.”

They also demanded the executive authority not to interfere with the judiciary and to stop broadcasting a discourse that further divides Tunisians and deepens the unprecedented crisis the country is experiencing.

The joint statement called on all factions of society to take part in events being held tomorrow to show support for the detainees in front of the Court of Appeal in Tunis as it considers a request demanding the release of detainees in the “conspiracy against state security” case.

READ: Tunisia Appeals Court postpones hearing case demanding release of political detainees

Since February, the Tunisian authorities have launched a campaign of arrests against politicians, media figures, activists, judges and businessmen, including the head of the Ennahda Movement, Rached Ghannouchi, the former Secretary-General of the Democratic Current, Ghazi Chaouachi, and the Secretary-General of the Republican Party, Issam Chebbi.

Tunisian President Kais Saied accused some of the detainees of “conspiring against state security” and causing the country’s economic crisis.

Is Tunisia’s president Kais Saied like Louis XIV, King of France? – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]