The Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia (CRLDHT) has learned with deep dismay of the arrest and detention of Mr. Ezzeddine Bach Chaouch, an internationally renowned historian, archaeologist, former Minister of Culture, and former UNESCO official, who is 88 years old.

Based on the information currently available, the legal proceedings are related to a past real estate transaction involving a property owned by the municipality of Carthage. The facts under review pertain to administrative and municipal decisions dating back several years and involving several institutional stakeholders.

According to publicly available information, this case does not involve only Mr. Ezzeddine Bach Chaouch. The arrest warrant issued by the Indictment Division also targets several other individuals who held positions of responsibility within the municipality of Carthage, including, notably, the journalist and former city council member Zied El Heni, as well as three other former municipal officials.

The CRLDHT reiterates that the individuals involved in this case, foremost among them Mr. Ezzeddine Bach Chaouch and Mr. Zied El Heni, are fully entitled to the presumption of innocence, and that no one may be considered guilty until a final judicial decision has been rendered in accordance with the guarantees of a fair trial.

However, while the Committee expresses its solidarity with all those being prosecuted in this case, it believes that Mr. Ezzeddine Bach Chaouch’s situation constitutes a particularly urgent humanitarian case due to his advanced age, his extremely serious health condition, and the circumstances under which his arrest is said to have taken place.

The reports regarding his health are particularly alarming. Mr. Bach Chaouch is said to be suffering from severe respiratory problems that require constant oxygen support. He is reportedly unable to move on his own and is entirely dependent on the assistance of his family members for even the most basic daily activities.

If these facts are confirmed, the CRLDHT believes that this arrest raises a fundamental question that goes far beyond the judicial sphere alone: was it truly necessary to incarcerate an 88-year-old man who is seriously ill, bedridden, and on life support, when numerous other measures provided for by law would have ensured his appearance in court?

But how can one seriously argue that an 88-year-old man, who is unable to move without assistance and relies on medical equipment to breathe, poses a danger to society or presents a credible risk of absconding?

Mr. Bach Chaouch’s incarceration comes amid a trend of increasing pretrial detentions targeting political figures, journalists, lawyers, judges, activists, and former public officials. This trend is fueling serious concerns about the increasingly widespread use of pretrial detention.

The CRLDHT notes that, in accordance with universal human rights principles and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the elderly and seriously ill individuals are entitled to special protection. The authorities have an obligation to ensure their physical safety, access to medical care, and dignity under all circumstances.

The CRLDHT notes with concern that this case is part of a broader trend marked by a rise in prosecutions and pretrial detentions targeting journalists, lawyers, judges, political leaders, civil society activists, and former public officials. Without prejudging the merits of the cases, the Committee considers that the justice system must never become an instrument of political settlement and that the use of pretrial detention must remain strictly exceptional, in accordance with the principles of the rule of law and Tunisia’s international commitments

The Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia (CRLDHT)

• Demands the immediate release of Mr. Ezzeddine Bach Chaouch or, failing that, his placement under an alternative measure to detention that is compatible with his age, his state of health, and his human dignity;
• Also calls for the release of Mr. Zied El Heni, a journalist and former city council member, as well as full respect for his rights to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence;
• Requests the publication of the specific grounds that led to the issuance of the arrest warrants in this case and an explanation of why pretrial detention was chosen over the alternative measures provided for by law;
• Holds the Tunisian authorities—first and foremost the President of the Republic, Mr. Kaïs Saïed, and the Minister of Justice, Ms. Leïla Jaffel—responsible for any harm to the physical or mental well-being of the individuals detained in this case, as well as for any deterioration in their health;
• Demands that an independent and impartial medical examination be conducted without delay regarding the health condition of Mr. Ezzeddine Bach Chaouch and that he be guaranteed the necessary medical care;
• Reaffirms its commitment to the presumption of innocence, the guarantees of a fair trial, the independence of the judiciary, and the principle that freedom is the rule and detention the exception;
• Calls on the Tunisian authorities to put an end to the excessive use of pretrial detention and to prioritize alternative measures whenever human, medical, or legal circumstances warrant it;
• Calls for the release of all prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, journalists, lawyers, activists, trade unionists, and civil society actors who have been prosecuted or imprisoned for the peaceful exercise of their fundamental rights guaranteed by the Tunisian Constitution and the international conventions ratified by Tunisia;
• Calls on the international community, United Nations bodies, the European Union, the African Union, and all human rights organizations to closely monitor developments in this case and the state of civil liberties in Tunisia.

Paris, June 12, 2026