For freedom of association, freedom of trade unions, freedom of assembly
For an Independent Justice
On the instructions of the Public Prosecutor of the Tunis Court of First Instance, the First Substitute burst in, accompanied by a law enforcement officer, on January 18, 2025, while the office of the Association des Magistrats Tunisiens (AMT) was holding a meeting at its headquarters within the court. She demanded the immediate evacuation of the premises, while threatening AMT members with the consequences of refusing to comply.
The CRLDHT,
- Strongly condemns this latest attempt to intimidate the Association des Magistrats Tunisiens and its members, which is part of a systematic policy of harassment aimed at those who resist the instrumentalization of justice and violations of human rights and the principles of the rule of law.
- Salutes the commitment of the members of the AMT board, who refused to submit to this injunction, which humiliates the entire judiciary.
- Reiterates its unconditional support for the right of Tunisian magistrates to freedom of association and the exercise of their trade union activities.
- Considers this intimidation to be a manifestation of the counter-revolution carried out by an authoritarian regime which sanctions the AMT for its historic role in defending the independence of the judiciary, notably its constant support for dismissed magistrates.
- Calls on the authorities to respect the Tunisian Constitution and international instruments relating to the rights of magistrates, in particular their freedom of association, their right to trade union activity and, more generally, the independence of the judiciary. The CRLDHT also insists on the enforcement of the decisions of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in this area. - Calls on the National Bar Association and national and international civil society to support the AMT in its struggle, which goes far beyond corporatist demands, and to defend the fundamental principles of justice and the rule of law.
