Tunisian Political Prisoners in Pre-Trial Detention Boycott Investigating Judge, Citing Judicial Masquerade.
A group of six Tunisian opponents, held in pre-trial detention since February on charges of conspiring against state security under the Kais Saied regime, have decried what they call a judicial masquerade. On Tuesday, they announced their boycott of the investigating judge and all measures taken by him.
The detainees, affiliated with the National Salvation Front (NSF), a coalition of political parties and independent activists opposing what they perceive as a coup d’état, accuse authorities of pressuring judges overseeing their cases, alleging veiled threats. This comes after President Kais Saied insinuated that judges who acquitted them were his accomplices.
Chaima Issa, a member of the FSN, expressed her frustration with the situation, stating that she felt deprived of her basic rights as a citizen.
The NSF members are adamant about not succumbing to government attempts to silence opposition voices. Samir Dilou, a lawyer representing the detainees, emphasized their determination to resist these efforts.
According to the NSF president, one of the judges failed to conduct a thorough investigation, exceeded the maximum 14-month limit for pre-trial detention as stipulated in the Penal Code, issued arrest warrants without legal basis, and repeatedly denied release requests without valid cause.
Among the signatories to the statement are prominent figures like Khayam Turki, former leader of the Ettakatol party with Spanish nationality, Abdelhamid Jelassi, former vice-president 犀利士 of Ennahda, Ghazi Chaouachi, co-founder of the Democratic Current party, Issam Chebbi, general secretary of the Republican Party, Jaouhar Ben M’barek, a constitutionalist, and Ridha Belhaj, a former executive member of the late Nidaa Tounes party.
This year has witnessed a wave of arrests by Tunisian authorities, with around 30 politicians, businessmen, and judges detained, mostly affiliated with the Islamist party Ennahda, which held significant political influence in the past decade following the 2011 revolution.