Tunisia — Human Rights Watch has issued a stark warning regarding the escalating crackdown on activists and political opponents in Tunisia, joining a chorus of United Nations experts and civil society organizations. The international rights monitor expressed deep concern over the North African nation’s intensifying human rights crisis, highlighting a dramatic deterioration in civil liberties and democratic norms.
The alarm comes exactly five years after Tunisian President Kais Saied seized extraordinary executive powers. According to the rights organization, this consolidation of authority has paved the way for resurgent authoritarianism. This political shift has reportedly translated into the systematic repression of various groups, including civil society organizations, journalists, independent lawyers, political rivals, and migrants, alongside a severe erosion of the rule of law.
Delivering its statement during the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch representatives urged the council and its member states to take immediate diplomatic action. The organization called on the international body to break its silence and publicly condemn the ongoing repression in the country.
The rights group cautioned that the international community’s failure to speak out carries severe consequences. By not publicly condemning the actions of the Tunisian government, the UN and its member states are effectively providing a “free pass” to authorities, signaling permission to continue and escalate their crackdown on dissent.
