Arbitrary and politically motivated acts of repression have increased in Tunisia since July 25, 2021, when President Kais Saied suspended parliament, lifted the parliamentary immunity of deputies, dismissed the head of government, and took control of the public prosecutor’s office, Human Rights Watch said in a statement released. this Saturday 11 September 2021.
“President Saïed’s assurances on human rights ring false, since he concentrates all the powers in his hands. Parliamentarians and other Tunisians suddenly begin to face arbitrary restrictions on their freedom, and some are thrown in jail,” said Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
The statement refers to the case of the two deputies: Fayçal Tebini and Jedidi Sbouii who “have been detained for more than a month for defamation”.
As for Zouhair Makhlouf, and in a statement granted to the organization, he said: “I was taken to the police station in Maamoura, where an officer asked me to sign a document, but he did not allow me to read it. The officer cited Saied’s July 25 announcement of exceptional measures and the appointment of an acting interior minister. »
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