Amnesty International urges Tunisian president Saied to respect human rights amidst unfolding crisis
Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, has asked Tunisian President Kais Saied to publicly commit to respecting and protecting human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, after he suspended parliament and assumed some judicial powers.
Concerns that human rights are at risk have heightened following a raid by security forces on Al Jazeera’s office in Tunis on Monday and the president’s threats during his speech of resorting to heavy-handed force against “those threatening state security”, Amnesty International said in a statement on Monday.
“The hard-won freedoms and human rights gains of Tunisia’s 2011 uprising are at risk, particularly in the absence of a Constitutional Court to protect the rights of everyone in the country. President Kais Saied must ensure that any acts he orders are strictly in line with Tunisia's obligations under international human rights law and most importantly must refrain from political purges,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“The raid on Al Jazeera’s offices is an outrageous assault on the right to freedom of expression and deeply worrying precedent signalling that human rights are in danger during this period,” Morayef said.
In a televised speech late on Sunday after a day of protests, President Saied, who presides over the armed forces, announced plans to temporarily suspend the parliament for 30 days, to lift immunity for its members, and stated that he will personally preside over the public prosecution of parliamentarians.
After his announcement, the army moved to block access to the Parliament.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rached Ghanouchi, who is the leader of the Islamist movement, denounced the actions of President Saied as "a coup" saying they are contrary to the provisions of the Constitution.
President Saied has sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, Minister of Defence, Brahim Bartagi and the Minister of Civil Service and Acting Minister of Justice, Hasna Ben Slimane, and imposed a night-time curfew for one month following the violent demonstrations.
During his speech, the Tunisian President also warned that anyone who "would use a bullet" against the security forces will be met with "a hail of bullets".
The United States, United Nations, European Union, Russia, Libya and Arab League have called for dialogue and respect for the rule of law in the country.
Amnesty International noted that sacked Prime Minister Mechichi's government was responsible for a sharp deterioration of human rights in Tunisia, citing demonstrations last January when thousands of young people were arrested and protests were violently dispersed by security forces, who also tortured protesters in custody.
It said that government also targeted human rights defenders and activists who voiced critical opinions or participated in peaceful demonstrations.
Amnesty International said discontent with the government’s COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout, with the second highest daily deaths per million people rate in the world, led to high participation in the 25 July protests.
It said Tunisia has been undergoing a shaky democratic transition since it toppled its longtime ruler Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
The country held its second parliamentary and presidential elections since the 2011 Revolution in October and November 2019, which brought President Saied to power and yielded a fragmented parliament, with no party capturing more than 25% of the seats.
The Islamist Ennahda party came in first, with 52 out of 217 seats, closely followed by Qalb Tounes party. Since the elections, three heads of government were appointed.
For several months, the country has been embroiled in a political crisis and disagreements over power sharing between the President and the head of government, who both exercise executive powers under the 2014 Constitution.
-0- PANA MA 27July2021
