The Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia (CRLDHT) condemns in the strongest possible terms the verdict handed down on the evening of May 21, 2026, against attorney Chawki Tabib, sentencing him to ten years in prison.
According to available information, this sentence consists of seven years in prison for charges of forgery, plus an additional three years for possession and use of documents deemed to be forged.
The CRLDHT considers this court ruling to be an extremely serious precedent and yet another example of the growing use of the Tunisian justice system for the purposes of political repression and the intimidation of independent voices.
A former president of the National Bar Association and former president of the National Anti-Corruption Authority, Mr. Chawki Tabib is a recognized leader in the defense of the rule of law, institutional independence, and the fight against corruption in Tunisia.
His conviction comes amid a surge in legal proceedings, arrests, and convictions targeting political opponents, journalists, lawyers, judges, human rights defenders, as well as civil society and media figures.
The CRLDHT believes that this case is deeply marred by violations of fundamental guarantees of a fair trial and the rights of the defense. Reports that Attorney Chawki Tabib did not appear at previous hearings despite being in custody raise serious concerns regarding compliance with international standards for a fair and impartial trial.
Under these circumstances, the CRLDHT believes that this conviction cannot be viewed in isolation from the general climate of authoritarian regression currently prevailing in Tunisia.
The repeated use of the judicial system against independent figures contributes to creating a climate of fear, permanently undermining confidence in judicial institutions, and gradually eroding the space for freedom and democratic participation.
The CRLDHT emphasizes that the independence of the judiciary is one of the essential foundations of any rule of law. When courts become instruments of political pressure and legal proceedings are used to silence critical voices, the rights and freedoms of society as a whole are directly threatened.
The CRLDHT expresses its full solidarity with Attorney Chawki Tabib, his wife Meryem, his family, his loved ones, and all Tunisian lawyers who, despite mounting pressure, continue to defend fundamental freedoms and the right to an independent judiciary.
The CRLDHT calls on the Tunisian authorities to uphold their constitutional and international human rights obligations, to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, and to put an end to the use of legal proceedings as a tool for repressing opponents, human rights defenders, and critical voices.
The CRLDHT also calls on international and regional human rights protection mechanisms, professional bar associations, European institutions, and Tunisia’s international partners to respond with the utmost vigilance to this further erosion of the rule of law and fundamental freedoms in the country.
Paris, May 22, 2026
