Tunisia Leaves African Human Rights Court, Increasingly Not Distance From Authoritarian
JAKARTA - The Tunisian government has decided to withdraw from the African human rights court (HAM). This effort was rejected by many human rights groups.
Pengumuman negara di Afrika Utara itu keluar dari Pengadilan HAM Afrika tidak diikuti alasannya.
Until now, it is not known why Tunisia withdrew from the court enforcing the African charter on human rights and the rights of the individual.
When questioned by AFP journalists, the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to speak up.
The withdrawal from the Arusha-centric African Court, Tanzania, has come under fire from the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH). According to LTDH, the Tunese Government's decision was taken in secret.
"A dangerous retreat and efforts to withdraw from an independent judiciary capable of fighting impunity and ensuring justice," read the LTDH statement.
Another Tunisian human rights group, CRLDHT, said the withdrawal "cancelled a historic commitment" to the court and was "an embarrassing appeal" to Tunisia's pledge to protect human rights.
"This decision now eliminates the ability of Tunisian citizens and human rights organizations to file cases directly to African courts to challenge state violations," CRLDHT wrote.
Since Kais Saied became President in 2019, Tunisia has turned quickly into authoritarian. Saied did not hesitate to imprison his political opponents, while his supporters were equally ready to attack those who criticized him.
It was noted that a number of people who strongly criticized Saied were currently behind bars. Some of them are in the process of being prosecuted in mass trials on charges of conspiring against the state. Many human rights groups have criticized these efforts as politically motivated actions.
In May 2023, the families of four opposition figures Saied were detained, including party leader Ennahdha Rached Ghannouchi. Ghannouchi then reported the case to the African Court on charges of release.
Three months later, the African Court decided to be ready to fight the Tunisian government for its actions in detaining Ghannouchi et al.
The court, which is member of more than half of the African continent, also urged authorities in Tunisia to stop making it difficult for prisoners to communicate with their lawyers and doctors.