The banned cases include at least 21 dissidents being investigated on “conspiracy” charges.
Tunisian radio and television programs have been banned from reporting on the cases of prominent opposition figures accused of plotting against state security, further deepening Tunisia’s authoritarian shift under President Kais Saied.
A judge made the decision on Saturday, according to the official TAP news agency.
“The investigative judge of Office 36 of the Anti-Terrorism Branch issued a decision banning media coverage of the two cases of conspiracy against state security,” court spokesman Hanan el- Qadas
El-Qadas said the ban only concerned “audiovisual media” and was ordered to protect the privacy of figures involved in the cases.
At least 21 dissidents are being investigated “on unfounded allegations of ‘conspiracy’,” an investigation that began in February this year, according to Amnesty International. At least 12 people have been arrested, the human rights group said.
Those arrested have been publicly described as “terrorists”, accused of plotting to attack the state, and are being investigated under 10 articles of the Tunisian Penal Code, including “Article 72, which imposes the death penalty for attempting “change the nature of the state,” said Amnesty International.
Outspoken critics of Saied’s government who are being investigated include Rashid Ghannouchi, the recently arrested leader of Ennahdha, the country’s largest political party; and Nejib Chebbi, leader of the National Salvation Front of Tunisia, an opposition alliance co-founded by Ennahdha; alongside a litany of lawyers, journalists and activists.
Since December, at least 30 opposition figures considered critical of the Tunisian government have been arrested, according to Human Rights Watch, in a growing crackdown on the country’s opposition.
In July 2021, President Saied dismissed the government and suspended parliament before moving to rule by decree and eventually taking control of the judiciary. His government’s arrests of dozens of dissidents in recent months have drawn condemnation from the international community and rights groups.
On Saturday, two US senators introduced legislation to limit funds to Tunisia until it restores its democratic institutions.
Also, a proposed deal by the European Commission to revive Tunisia’s economy, as part of a wider effort to stem the flow of refugees to its borders, worries government-backed rights groups of Saied and overlooks his abuses of power.
The opposition coalition of the Salvation Front of Tunisia has called a protest on Sunday over the arrests of some of its leaders and other prominent critics of the president.
