World News
Rights groups warn of expanding civil society crackdown in Tunisia
Human Rights Watch documents prosecutions, asset freezes, and association suspensions under President Kais Saied, while the government maintains its actions combat corruption.
The short version
- Human Rights Watch published a 49-page report detailing legal and financial measures against Tunisian activists, non-governmental organizations, and journalists.
- Targeted entities include anti-racism groups, refugee aid organizations, and anti-corruption watchdogs, several of which have ceased operations or face dissolution.
- President Kais Saied defended government actions as essential for tackling corruption, rejecting accusations of authoritarianism.
- Whether pending draft laws further restricting non-governmental funding and operations will be formally adopted remains unclear.
Key facts
- Human Rights Watch reported that Tunisian authorities have prosecuted at least 47 individuals linked to non-governmental organizations and held at least 10 in preventive detention beyond the legal 14-month limit.[Al Jazeera]
- At least 14 people affiliated with civil society have received prison sentences following trials in 2025 and 2026, including activist Saadia Mosbah, who received an eight-year sentence on financial crime charges.[Al Jazeera]
- Authorities have suspended at least 20 civil society associations under Decree-Law 2011-88, while groups such as antiracism organization Mnemty and independent publisher Al Khatt face dissolution proceedings.[Al Jazeera]
- Tax authorities investigated at least a dozen organizations near the end of 2024, leading to frozen bank accounts and operational restrictions on groups including I Watch and Amnesty International's regional office.[Al Jazeera]
- President Saied has rejected characterizations of his rule as authoritarian, asserting that his policies are necessary to combat corruption and protect national sovereignty from foreign-funded destabilization.[Deutsche Welle · Al Jazeera]
- Public demonstrations took place in Tunis in July and late August, organized around worsening living conditions, power and water outages, and democratic backsliding.[Deutsche Welle]
What remains uncertain
- The precise total of suspended or dissolved associations remains unverified due to the absence of published official government data.[Al Jazeera]
- The status and timeline for parliamentary passage of draft laws granting the executive broad control over NGO registration, foreign funding, and operations remain unspecified.[Al Jazeera]