Latest news with #SihemBensedrine
Arab News
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Tunisia voices ‘astonishment' at UN criticism of rights record
TUNIS: Tunisia has expressed 'deep astonishment' after the United Nations accused it of cracking down on political opponents, dismissing the criticism as inaccurate and unfounded. President Kais Saied was elected in 2019 after Tunisia emerged as the only democracy from the Arab Spring, but in 2021 he staged a sweeping power grab that has seen a rollback on freedoms. The UN human rights office last week condemned the 'persecution of political opponents' in Tunisia, including arbitrary arrests, flawed trials and vague charges against activists, journalists and opposition figures. The foreign ministry rejected the allegations in a statement posted on Facebook overnight. 'Tunisia has received with deep astonishment the inaccuracies and criticisms contained in the statement issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, regarding the situations of some Tunisian citizens who are subject to judicial prosecution by the national judiciary,' it said. 'Tunisia does not need to emphasize its keenness to protect human rights as it deeply believes in these rights and is committed to the provisions of its constitution, its national laws and its international commitments. 'In this context, Tunisia can give lessons to those who think they are in a position to make statements or lessons,' it added. The statement defended Tunisia's security forces, saying they 'do not pursue demonstrators but rather secure and protect them' and provide some opposition figures with 'special protection.' On Wednesday, the day after the UN criticism, prominent human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine, held since August, was released, but the 70-year-old remains under prosecution and subject to a travel ban. The foreign ministry insisted the cases cited by the UN involved 'public law crimes unrelated to political, party or media activities, or the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression.' 'No one can claim to be above accountability or use pressure at home or abroad to evade justice or escape punishment,' it said, adding judicial proceedings were independent and respected all legal guarantees. Dozens of political figures, including Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, as well as businessmen and journalists, are in detention. Most face charges of plotting 'against state security.' Ghannouchi was sentenced to 22 years in prison earlier this month. A high-profile trial, known as the 'state security conspiracy case,' is set to open on March 4.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tunisia court orders release of top rights activist
Prominent Tunisian human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine was released from jail on Wednesday after an appeals court ruling, AFP journalists said, although she remains barred from leaving the country. A court spokesman earlier said Bensedrine cannot leave Tunisia as she still faces charges in other cases. "I can only be happy, as no one wants to be in this hole," she said upon her release on Wednesday evening from Manouba prison in the suburbs of the capital. "Breathing the air of freedom like this afternoon and after seeing a just a small patch of blue sky (from her cell), I prayed to God to see the entire sky, and my wish was granted." Bensedrine, 74, headed the now-defunct Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD), which was tasked with uncovering abuses under the country's past autocratic rulers. She had been detained since August for allegedly "falsifying" the commission's final report, which was published in 2020. She has also been accused of accepting a bribe to include a passage accusing the Franco-Tunisian Bank (BFT) of corruption, an allegation she has denied. Her husband, Omar Mestiri, told AFP before her release that Bensedrine "had suffered but is in good spirits". "She is determined to fight to assert her rights," he said. In January, Bensedrine, a former journalist, said she was going on hunger strike in protest at her detention. She was hospitalised 10 days later. Announcing the hunger strike in a letter from Manouba, she had said she would "no longer tolerate the injustice that has struck me. Justice cannot be based on lies and slander, but on concrete and tangible pieces of evidence." - 'Persecution' - Established in 2014 in the aftermath of Tunisia's 2011 revolution, the IVD was tasked with documenting state-led human rights violations between 1955 and 2013. The period includes authoritarian rule in the North African country under presidents Habib Bourguiba and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted during the revolution. The IVD received testimony from tens of thousands of Tunisian victims of abuses including rape and torture. On Tuesday, the United Nations human rights chief denounced the "persecution of political opponents" in Tunisia, urging the authorities to halt a wave of arrests and arbitrary detentions. Bensedrine's lawyer, Abderraouf Ayadi, said in December that the charges were part of a "politically motivated case fabricated against her". "Tunisia's judiciary is currently under political influence," he added, arguing that the charges stemmed from her role as an outspoken critic of the government. President Kais Saied was elected in 2019, after Tunisia emerged as the only democracy from the Arab Spring. But in 2021, he staged a sweeping power grab. Critics and human rights groups have since warned of a rollback on freedoms. Last August, a group of UN experts had called for Bensedrine to be given a fair trial, saying her arrest could amount to judicial harassment. "In a context marked by the suppression of numerous dissenting voices, the arrest of Ms Bensedrine raises serious concerns about the respect of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in Tunisia and has a chilling effect on journalists, human rights defenders and civil society in general," they said in a joint statement. kl-iba/bou/smw/srm
Al-Ahram Weekly
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Tunisia court orders release of ex-truth commission head: Court spokesman - Region
A Tunisian appeals court ordered the release Wednesday of prominent human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine, though she remains banned from leaving the country as she faces charges in other cases, a court spokesman told AFP. Bensedrine, 74 -- who headed the now-defunct Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD), tasked with uncovering abuses under the country's past autocratic rulers -- has been detained since August for allegedly "falsifying" the commission's final report, published in 2020. She has also been accused of accepting a bribe to include a passage accusing the Franco-Tunisian Bank (BFT) of corruption, an allegation she has refuted. Her husband, Omar Mestiri, told AFP that Bensedrine "had suffered but is in good spirits". "She is determined to fight to assert her rights," he said, adding he was going to the Manouba prison near Tunis, where she has been held, to await her release. In January, Bensedrine announced a hunger strike to protest her detention and was hospitalised 10 days later. Established in 2014 in the aftermath of Tunisia's 2011 revolution, the IVD was tasked with documenting state-led human rights violations between 1955 and 2013. The period includes the authoritarian rule of presidents Habib Bourguiba and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted during the revolution. On Tuesday, the United Nations' human rights chief denounced the "persecution of political opponents" in Tunisia, urging the authorities to halt a wave of arrests and arbitrary detentions. Short link:
