TUNIS — Tunisian President
Kais Saied faced
growing pressure on Tuesday from judges, the
UN and world powers after he
scrapped a key judicial watchdog, triggering renewed accusations he is moving
towards authoritarian rule.
اضافة اعلان
Saied dissolved the
Supreme Judicial Council
on Sunday, months after sacking the government and seizing wide-reaching powers
in the North African country, often lauded as the only democracy to emerge from
the 2011 Arab revolts.
The former law professor had long inveighed
against the council, accusing members of blocking investigations into the 2013
assassinations of leftist political figures
Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi.
He had also accused his nemesis, the
Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party that had played a central role in Tunisian
politics for the decade between the revolution and Saied's power grab, of
infiltrating the body.
The president, who has put fighting
corruption at the heart of his program, insisted Monday that he would
"never interfere with the judiciary" and that removing the judicial
council was necessary as Tunisians wanted the country "cleansed".
But his removal of the council, set up in
2016 to shield judges from government influence, sparked renewed anger from
critics who say he is installing a new dictatorship, 11 years after the fall of
dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Those fears have been fueled by the
increasing use of military courts to try civilians.
In Tunis, the envoys of the
G7 nations and
the
European Union said they were "deeply concerned" about Saied's
move against the council, "whose mission is to ensure the sound
functioning of the justice system and respect for its independence".
"A transparent, independent and
efficient judiciary and the separation of powers are essential for a
functioning democracy that serves its people," they said.
Amnesty International said Saied's
"attack" on the body was "a grave threat to fair trial
rights".
"If the President enacts a decree to
dissolve or suspend the institution, it will sound the death knell for judicial
independence in the country," said the rights group's regional director
Heba Morayef.
'Flagrant violation'
That came hours after
Washington — which has
often given Saied the benefit of the doubt following similar moves — also
voiced its concern, calling an independent judiciary "a core element of an
effective and transparent democracy".
"It is essential that the government of
Tunisia holds its commitments to respect the independence of the judiciary, as
stipulated in the constitution," said State Department spokesman Ned
Price.
A month after his July 25 power grab, Saied
had given himself new powers effectively allowing him to rule by decree and
suspending parts of the 2014 constitution — a document he has since vowed to replace.
His latest move gets rid of a body that had
been mandated to ensure the functioning of justice, keep the judiciary
independent and appoint judges.
On Monday, police blocked access to the
council's headquarters, preventing members and staff from entering.
The body's president Youssef Bouzakher
called the move "illegal", and on Tuesday the Association of Tunisian
Magistrates said it was "a flagrant violation of the separation of
powers" that would be ensured in a "democratic regime".
The association also announced a judges'
strike "at all courts across the country on Wednesday and Thursday"
as well as a protest outside the council's offices on Thursday.
'Stifling dissent'
Ennahdha said Saied's decision showed he was
"trying to take control of the judicial apparatus to use it to eliminate
his political rivals".
Saied's move also sparked criticism from the
UN in
Geneva, where High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called
it "a big step in the wrong direction".
Dissolving the body "is in clear
violation of Tunisia's obligations under international human rights law",
she said.
She also pointed out that the judicial
council's establishment in 2016 had been seen as a major advance for the rule
of law, separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary in Tunisia.
Bachelet also decried online hate campaigns
and threats directed at the council's members and called for all necessary
measures to be taken to ensure their safety.
She said that since July, "there have
been increasing attempts to stifle dissent, including through harassment of
civil society actors".
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