Amnesty International warns of a fascist response to freedom in Tunisia

Amnesty International on Saturday warned of rising indicators of what it called a fascist cold targeting public, individual and pluralistic freedoms in Tunisia, calling on the authorities to stop restricting opponents and journalists and respect the country's international human rights commitments.

Participants at Amnesty International's Human Rights Forum in Tunisia, in their concluding statements, explained that what the country is witnessing is reintroducing exclusion and discrimination in the name of security and identity, considering that what has been taking place since 25 July 2021 represents a path to refocusing power, dismantling control and accountability guarantees, subjugating the judiciary, expanding surveillance, criminalizing civil work and protesting.

Participants refused to subject the political realm to suspicion and punishment through the use of decree 54 and the journal Communications, charging conspiracy against state security, money laundering and relying on the Anti-Terrorism Act, noting that employing these texts to prosecute opinioners and lawyers narrows the public domain and undermines the guarantees of a fair trial.

Amnesty International warned yesterday of increasing restrictions on freedom of expression, warning of a decline in public freedoms and an increase in prosecutions against protesters, activists and journalists.

The statement reaffirmed the refusal to subject organizations and associations to administrative, judicial pressure and distortion campaigns aimed at dismantling the potential of an independent organisation, with authorities responsible for establishing an authoritarian path that monopolizes decision-making and employs the law to exclude opponents, while justifying their actions by law enforcement, anti-corruption and protecting state security.