Tunis, Tunisia — in officers tunisia Ordered to suspend for a month the Tunisian League for Human Rights, one of the oldest rights groups in Africa and the Arab world and part of the National Dialogue Quartet that has been awarded since 2015. Nobel Peace PrizeThe latest move comes amid concerns over the growing crackdown on civil society.
The league confirmed the suspension in a statement late Friday, warning that the decision was a “serious and arbitrary violation of freedom of association” and a “direct attack” on one of Tunisia’s major democratic gains.
President Kais Saied has frequently cited foreign funding, on which rights groups sometimes rely, as a threat to Tunisia, using it to promote a populist narrative and accusing his political opponents and social justice activists of being foreign agents and fomenting unrest at home.
“This measure cannot be seen in isolation from the broader context in the country of increasing systemic pressure on civil society and independent voices,” the group said. The group said it would challenge it in court as an unjust decision while continuing to protect victims of rights violations without discrimination.
The suspension follows a series of similar measures targeting rights groups in the North African country, where courts last year ordered several major NGOs to halt activities for a month, including organizations focused on migrants and women’s rights.
The decision comes after journalist Zeid al-Haini was detained for 48 hours over a Facebook post amid a wider pattern of arrests and legal pressure targeting critics.
Mohamed Yassin Jalassi, former president of the Tunisian journalists union SNJT, told The Associated Press on the sidelines of a protest in Tunis on Friday that hundreds of people were being detained on speech-related charges, including over social media posts.
“Repression is beginning to affect everyone. Journalism has been criminalized, civil society work has been criminalized, political opposition has been criminalized,” he said.
“People now face arbitrary trials without the minimum guarantee of a fair trial.”
Meanwhile, investigative outlet Inqifada faces a court hearing on May 11 as authorities seek to dissolve Al Khatt, the organization that publishes it.
The group said in a statement that it disputes the legal basis of the case and says the claims cited by the government have not been examined by Tunisian courts since 2024.
The developments add to growing concerns among rights advocates over restrictions on independent media, civil society and any dissenting voice under Saied, who has consolidated power since 2021 and increasingly targeted groups he repeatedly accuses of receiving foreign funding to stoke unrest and destabilize Tunisia’s national interests.
