The Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits de l'Homme en Tunisie (CRLDHT) expresses its deepest indignation at the Tunisian security forces' ban on a symbolic and peaceful action: the simulation of a fair trial scheduled for Wednesday April 10, 2025 at the Salle Le Rio in Tunis.
Organized by a collective of human rights organizations - including Avocats Sans Frontières, Amnesty International, Beity, FTDES, LTDH, EuroMed Rights, CALAM, Aswat Nissa and CRLDHT - this initiative aimed to raise public awareness of a fundamental right guaranteed by the Tunisian Constitution and international conventions ratified by Tunisia: the right to a fair trial.
This brutal ban, unfounded and without legal justification, constitutes a flagrant violation of freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to citizen initiative. It confirms once again the authoritarian drift of the current regime, intent on stifling any form of criticism, debate or democratic expression.
This refusal to authorize an educational and civic staging, ahead of the second hearing of the so-called "plot against state security" trial on April 11, 2025, is a clear admission that the authorities are afraid of any evocation of the principles of true justice. It admits, implicitly but blatantly, that its trials are anything but fair.
The CRLDHT salutes the powerful words of Madame Sana Ben Achour, whose speech on behalf of the collective of organizing associations was a masterly lesson in clear-sighted citizenship and fidelity to principles. She reminded us that the defense of rights depends neither on ideology nor on the identity of the people concerned, but on an unwavering commitment to the universal principles of justice.
The CRLDHT calls on the Tunisian authorities to :
- Put an immediate end to arbitrary restrictions on civil society and its initiatives;
- Respect the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Tunisian Constitution and the country's international commitments;
- Guarantee free access to public spaces for educational, cultural and political events;
- Ensure a climate conducive to citizen participation, critical expression and democratic dialogue.
The Committee expresses its full solidarity with all individuals and organizations committed to the defense of human rights, and denounces the instrumentalization of justice for the purposes of political repression. It calls for greater mobilization in support of prisoners of conscience and the victims of this repression.
For more information, read the hearing reports here: https://crldht.com/rapport-detaille-sur-laudience-du-11-avril-2025-affaire-dite-du-complot-contre-la-surete-de-letat/ - https://crldht.com/rapport-detaille-troisieme-audience-du-proces-dit-de-complot-contre-la-surete-de-letat/
