The Tunisian regime is taking political repression to a new level, once again using the justice system to silence dissident voices. A new trial, obviously political, has just been launched against opposition and civil society figures:
- Moncef Marzouki, former President of the Republic,
- Imed Deymi, former chief of staff to Moncef Marzouki, unjustly rejected by the ISIE as a candidate in the October 2024 presidential election,
- Abderrazak Kilani, former President of the French Bar Association,
- Abdennacer Nait Limam, President of the Association of Victims of Torture in Tunisia (AVTT),
- Adel Mejri, General Secretary of AVTT,
This judicial offensive follows a conference held on March 9, 2024 at Geneva's Maison des Associations, organized by AVTT. The event focused on violations of the right to a fair trial and the lack of independence of the judiciary in Tunisia. On this occasion, the speakers announced their intention to lodge a complaint with international bodies, in particular the UN, against 54 magistrates accused of collusion with the authorities in these violations.
The initiation of proceedings did not come from the magistrates allegedly targeted, but from the Public Prosecutor's Office, acting on the direct orders of the Minister of Justice - clear proof of the executive's interference in judicial affairs. This procedure illustrates the authoritarian drift of a power obsessed with neutralizing any challenge, however symbolic.
It should be remembered that Moncef Marzouki and Abderrazak Kilani have already been convicted in absentia in other trumped-up cases, confirming their status as prime targets of a repressive regime on the run.
Faced with this new judicial masquerade, the CRLDHT :
- Denounces in the strongest terms this maneuver of political persecution by judicial means, which betrays the feverishness of the current regime.
- Expresses its full solidarity with all personalities prosecuted for exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression, association and criticism of power.
- Considers this trial as an involuntary admission of the validity of the accusations made against certain magistrates: the disproportionate reaction of the executive, through the public prosecutor's office, confirms the relevance of the denunciations expressed at the Geneva conference.
- Reaffirms its unwavering support for judges and magistrates who refuse to submit to the injunctions of the executive and who courageously defend the independence of the judiciary, an essential condition of any democracy worthy of the name.
