Summary:

This week, a Tunisian lawyer who has represented members of the political opposition announced that Members of the European Parliament (MEP) planned to visit opposition figures currently detained on charges of “conspiracy against state security.”

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The visit would seek to address the ongoing detention of the following individuals:

• Abdul Hamid Al-Jalasi
• Jawhar Bin Mubarak
• Ghazi Chaouachi
• Essam Al-Shabi
• Reda Belhaj
• Khayam Al-Turki
• Kamal Al-Latif

This planned visit comes following a late-July 2023 visit by the head of the Bar Association in Nice, France, Adrien Verrier, traveled to Tunisia Verrier visited three lawyers detained on charges of conspiracy against the state, including Ridha Belhaj, Ghazi Chaouachi and Noureddine Bhirin.

Verrier took pains to avoid commenting on the legal merits of the case against the imprisoned lawyers, but conveyed a message from them that strongly disputed the case against them and the basis of their ongoing detention.

Verrier did comment that “since July 25, 2021 [when President Kais Saied suspended Parliament and other government functions] we have observed a hardening of the current political regime” and a “loss of independence” in the area of justice.

Outlook:  

European leaders have expressed concern about the degradation of judicial independence in Tunisia as arrests and detentions have continued since late 2022.

As Europe seeks to partner with Tunisia on addressing migration, the issues of democracy and judicial independence will likely continue to cause friction with European partners, many of whom remain divided over providing security assistance while concerns rise over domestic freedoms and human rights.

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