Fri. Oct 4th, 2024

The Tunisian authorities arrested three civil society activists, raising condemnation and a range of questions about freedom of human rights work.

This development comes amid renewed accusations by President Kais Saied of some organizations of receiving “suspicious funding.”

Among those arrested was Saadia Misbah, president of the anti-racism and migrant rights organization Manamti, who was arrested just a day after the president and deputy of the Tunisian Refugee Council were ordered in pre-trial detention.

The Tunisian judiciary is currently conducting extensive investigations involving a number of associations working in the field of migration.

Lawyer Hamida Chayeb pointed out that the investigations include charges related to helping migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to settle and stay in Tunisia, in addition to committing financial irregularities.

The “Manamti” association indicated that security forces stormed Misbah’s house and the association’s headquarters before the association’s project manager was released while Misbah was kept.

The association calls for Misbah’s release and the cessation of prosecutions, expressing its refusal to be a scapegoat for the absence of a comprehensive national strategy to address immigration issues.

In a related context, the Tunisian president’s statements, in which he described workers in some associations as “traitors and agents”, sparked wide controversy, reflecting increasing tension between the government and civil society organizations.

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