Bloggers and social media users were investigated or prosecuted for the peaceful online expression of their views, including for criticizing the government’s approach to dealing with COVID-19. Protests were staged against insufficient government aid and protection of health workers during the...

Since February 2023, Tunisian authorities have opened criminal investigations against at least 21 people including political opposition activists, lawyers, and businessmen on unfounded accusations of conspiracy. Authorities are currently detaining at least nine people under this investigation...

Tunisian filmmaker Issam Bouguerra, imprisoned since 24 August 2021 on charges of use and possession of cannabis, suffers from bleeding but prison authorities are denying him access to urgently needed, adequate healthcare. His trial is scheduled for 24 November after a first session set for 6...

On 1 June, the President Kais Saied arbitrarily dismissed 57 judges and prosecutors on vague grounds that included obstructing terrorism-related investigations, financial corruption, “moral corruption,” “adultery”, and participation in “alcohol-fuelled parties.” On 10 August, the Tunis...

Prominent lawyer and former president of the Tunisian Bar Association Abderazzak Kilani will appear before the Military Court of First Instance in Tunis on 12 May. On 2 January 2022, security forces prevented him from exercising his duties as a lawyer by not allowing him to visit his arbitrarily...

On 2 March, prominent lawyer Abderrazak Kilani, former president of the Tunisian Bar Association, was jailed by a military court. His prosecution stems from a verbal exchange on 2 January between him and police officers as they barred him from entering a hospital to visit his arbitrarily detained...

Tunisian parliamentarian Yassine Ayari’s trial is set to begin on 14 February before the Military Court of First Instance in Tunis. He is being prosecuted in relation to Facebook posts in which he described President Saied’s concentration of exceptional powers as a “coup.” In July 2021 he was...

On 31 December 2021, men in civilian clothing arrested former Justice Minister Noureddine Bhiri and Fathi Beldi, a former Interior Ministry employee, in Tunis and took them to undisclosed locations. Noureddine Bhiri is also the vice president of Ennahda which was the majority party in parliament...

Badr Baabou, a human rights defender and LGBTI rights activist, was violently assaulted by police officers on the night of 21 October 2021 in downtown Tunis. Security forces have been targeting Badr Baabou for his work and activism in promoting the rights and freedoms of LGBTI people in Tunisia....

Yassine Ayari, an outspoken parliamentarian and whistle-blower who exposed several corruption cases in Tunisia, has been held since 28 July 2021 in the Mornaguia prison to serve a two-month sentence pronounced by a military court in 2018 for his Facebook posts criticizing the army. The military...

On 2 May 2020, 27-year-old Tunisian blogger Emna Chargui shared a Facebook post that she found on social media of a humorous text that imitates the verses of Quran to make fun of the COVID-19 situation. The text is void of any incitement to hatred or violence. It is intended to be funny and it...

Human rights lawyer Najet Laabidi faces trial before a military court on charges of “insulting a public official while performing their duty”. She risks up to two years in prison. The trial is a result of a complaint filed by a military judge who was presiding over the trial of former regime...

On 19 September 2019, a court in Tunis acquitted 18-year-old activist Maissa al-Oueslati of all charges after facing trumped-up charges that could have resulted in her imprisonment for up to 4 years. On 4 September 2019, the police arbitrarily detained Maissa al-Oueslati and her 16-year-old...