TUNIS — Tunisian President
Kais Saied on
Sunday dissolved a top independent judicial watchdog accusing it of bias, the
latest controversial move since he sacked the government last year.
اضافة اعلان
Saied has broadened his grip on power since
July 25 when he sacked the government and froze parliament before later moving
to rule by decree in Tunisia — the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings
that ousted a series of autocratic leaders.
Many in the
North African nation welcomed
his moves against a political system described as corrupt and ineffective, in
the only democracy to have emerged from the revolts.
But political figures and rights groups have
warned of a slide towards authoritarianism, and world leaders have expressed
deep concern.
In a move sparking further unease, Saied
announced he was dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council (CSM) during a meeting
with
government ministers.
The council "is a thing of the
past", he said according to video footage released by the Tunisian
presidency.
Saied accused the CSM of serving political
interests.
The independent constitutional body was set
up in 2016 to guarantee the good functioning and independence of the
judiciary.
"In this council, positions and
appointments are sold and made according to affiliations," the head of
state said.
"You cannot imagine the money that
certain judges have been able to receive, billions and billions," Saied
added.
'Illegal and unconstitutional'
Analysts and political opponents say the
government is seeking to clamp down on the Islamist-inspired
Ennahdha party,
which has controlled parliament and the various governments since the 2011
revolution toppled veteran leader Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
The International Commission of Jurists said
the president's corruption accusations were "unfounded".
The CSM "has defended the independence
of the judiciary" and "any decree to dissolve it is illegal and
unconstitutional," it said.
"Its dissolution would mean the end of
the separation of powers," the Geneva-based rights body added.
Ennahdha spokesman Imed Khemiri denounced
the decision, which he said "touches on the independence of the
judiciary."
It is "a grave precedent that
Tunisia never had to submit to, even in the time of the dictator" Ben Ali, Khemiri
told AFP.
The president accused the CSM of corruption
and of delaying politically sensitive investigations into the 2013
assassinations of left-wing opposition figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed
Brahmi.
Daesh claimed both killings, while Ennahdha,
which denounced Saied's power grab as a "coup", has been accused by
many of blocking the investigations.
Belaid was shot three times outside his home
in February 2013, and Brahmi was killed in similar circumstances in July the
same year.
The "July 25 movement" — composed
of Saied supporters — on Saturday had called on the president to dissolve the
CSM in order to "purge" the judiciary of "corrupt
magistrates".
The CSM has 45 members, two thirds of whom
are judges elected by parliament. They, in turn, chose the remaining third.
Saied last month stripped its members of
transport and living allowances.
'Fair and independent'
Saied — who has also already called for a
July referendum on constitutional reforms — said on Sunday he was working
"on a provisional decree" to reorganize the judicial watchdog.
Tunisians, he said in a statement, are
entitled "to have a just
judicial system whose conduct is overseen by
judges who only implement the law".
Ibrahim Bouderbala, president of the
National Bar Association, welcomed the move.
"As soon as the decree is published, we
will react positively", Bouderbala said.
The judiciary "which has not been
capable of reforming itself or of deciding major cases provided an ideal occasion"
for Saied to again bang his fist on the table, analyst Abdellatif Hannachi
said.
Rallies on Sunday in the capital Tunis
commemorated the ninth anniversary of Belaid's assassination. Hundreds of
protesters demanding "fair and independent justice" chanted slogans
backing the president.
Belaid's brother Abdelmajid also supported
Saied's decision, accusing Ennahdha of having "manipulated and slowed
down" the case.
"Until we have dissolved the CSM we
will never have the truth", he said.
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