Suspensions, arrests, dissolutions: Tunisia intensifies its crackdown on NGOs

“Suspensions, arrests, dissolutions: Tunisia intensifies its crackdown on NGOs Submitted by Matteo Garavoglia on Fri, 05/29/2026 - 10:18 Authorities are increasingly using judicial means to shut down civil society organisations in their assault on freedoms A Tunisian lawyer wearing a red armband as a sign of protest walks past the courthouse in Tunis on 19 May 2026, during a rally by lawyers against the president and the regression in freedoms (Fethi Belaid/AFP) Off In recent weeks, small gatherings have become an increasingly common sight outside Tunis ’s Court of First Instance. Some demonstrators call for the protection of freedoms in the country, while others are protesting against administrative suspensions they consider unjust. All point to a shrinking civic space that many activists and observers fear is becoming permanent. Over the past two years, dozens of non-governmental organisations in the Maghreb country have been suspended for 30 days and threatened with dissolution by court order. In the last couple of months, two major groups were targeted: the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH), the oldest human rights organisation in Africa and a member of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 for its role in the country’s democratic transition, and Lawyers Without Borders (ASF), whose headquarters are in Belgium. The same fate also struck the Al Khatt foundation, owner of the investigative media Inkyfada. The independent outlet was first suspended for one month and is now facing dissolution proceedings, with a hearing scheduled for Monday. “It all started in October 2025 with a sudden, one-month suspension designed to silence our publications,” Inkyfada’s editorial director, Manel Lassoued, told Middle East Eye. “But we didn't stop. We kept working and appealed the decision, trusting in our fundamental right to a defence and an impartial justice system.” The Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, Aswat Nissa, Nawaat, the International Commission of Jurists and the World Organisation Against Torture are other organisations that received court-ordered suspensions, in the context of progressive weakening of the political and civil gains achieved after the 2011 uprising that followed President Kais Saied’s power grab five years ago. On 25 July 2021, Saied dissolved the government, froze parliament and began ruling in what rights groups have described as an increasingly authoritarian manner. He later introduced a new constitution that expanded presidential powers while increasing pressure on intermediary institutions such as the Supreme Judicial Council, which has effectively been stripped of its powers. This institutional overhaul has been accompanied by a campaign of arrests and administrative harassment targeting civil society groups working on a wide range of fields, from human rights and migration to corruption and social justice. Around 600 are reported to be under investigation. While authorities say they are combating suspicious foreign funding and protecting national interests, rights groups including Amnesty International have called the justification an “excuse” to intimidate NGOs and further restrict civic spaces. ‘Erase the entire political system’ According to Amnesty, what began as intimidation, arbitrary restrictions, asset freezes and politically motivated prosecutions of staff has now escalated into efforts to use the judiciary to shut down NGOs altogether. Under Decree-Law No 88 regulating associations, organisations typically face a three-step process: first an administrative warning, then a temporary suspension, and finally dissolution. Several organisations have already reached the final stage of the process, including Inkyfada and Mnemty, a Tunis-based anti-racism association whose founder, Saadia Mosbah, has been in detention for two years and was recently sentenced to eight years in prison on financial misconduct charges. ‘This is even more insidious than simply banning activities, because it aims to spread fear and create a reflex of self-censorship’ - Sihem Bensedrine, journalist and former head of the Truth and Dignity Commission “The entire institutional framework inherited from the democratic transition has been targeted,” Lamine Benghazi, head of advocacy for the Euro-Mediterranean region at ASF, told MEE. “But it is not only about institutions: these authorities want to erase the entire political system. They are trying to erase an entire political ecosystem - one that includes the media, associations and trade unions.” The suspension of the LTDH in April sparked considerable outrage, with hundreds gathering in the capital along Avenue Bourguiba to protest against the decision. The organisation was among the few still granted access to Tunisian prisons, where dozens of dissidents, journalists and political opponents are detained. “We consider the suspension to be a political decision disguised as a judicial one as it comes within a context of restricting civic space and targeting independent organisations that are fighting for human rights in Tunisia,” LTDH president Bassem Trifi told Amnesty International. “Beyond targeting human rights organisations, human rights and freedoms are being severely undermined, especially the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.” Tunisians protest against President Kais Saied and his government, demanding the release of all opposition members, in Tunis on 16 May 2026 (Fethi Belaid/AFP) Among the protesters was Sihem Bensedrine, a prominent figure in Tunisian civil society. The journalist chaired the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD), the body tasked after the 2011 uprising with investigating crimes committed under former presidents Habib Bourguiba and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, as well as during the protests that led to the latter’s fall in 2011. Arrested in August 2024 on charges of falsifying the IVD’s final report, Bensedrine was released in February 2025 after a prolonged hunger strike. She still bears the physical and psychological scars of what she considers an unjust detention, while preparing to face new trials linked to her work with the IVD. “They are using new repressive techniques: they do not directly shut down associations, they suspend them,” she told MEE. “And this is even more insidious than simply banning activities, because it aims to spread fear and create a reflex of self-censorship.” Bensedrine has been politically active since the Bourguiba era and has experienced multiple periods of detention. However, authoritarianism has reached new heights under Saied, she said. “I had the feeling that, for the current regime, imprisoning people who are considered troublesome has become a kind of royal lettre de cachet: they lock you up and you never get out,” she told MEE. “I felt that I could remain there for a very long time. At a certain point I told myself: ‘No, I cannot accept this any more.’ There was absolutely no reason for me to be in prison,” she added. Erosion of media freedoms While Bensedrine was being prosecuted, a wave of arrests also targeted figures from civil society and the media, including Sonia Dahmani, a lawyer and well-known television commentator, and Mourad Zeghidi, a columnist and radio commentator. In both cases, authorities applied Decree-Law 54 of 2022, which the Tunisian government has used to prosecute alleged cases of “false information” deemed harmful to public security. Their arrests became emblematic of the government’s growing use of the judiciary to silence critical voices. ‘What we are witnessing in Tunisia is no longer just a shift in attitude; it is a systematic, structural crackdown on independent media and civil society’ - Manel Lassoued, Inkyfada’s editorial director Dahmani was released in November 2025 after a year and a half in detention but was again sentenced to two years in prison earlier this week, a decision against which she has appealed. Zeghidi remains in prison, facing additional charges such as money laundering and corruption, which his lawyers consider unfounded and politically motivated. According to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Tunisia has dropped to 137th place out of 180 countries, down from 129 the previous year. “This decline reflects a deeper trend that RSF has been systematically documenting,” Oussama Bouagila, RSF’s regional advocacy officer and deputy bureau chief for North Africa, told MEE. “RSF recorded 39 prosecutions against journalists based on laws unrelated to journalism. President Saied has repeatedly called on public media to align themselves with what he describes as a war of national liberation.” Tunisia: Families of political detainees form collective to unite opposition to Saied Read More » After the 2011 revolution, Tunisia experienced a significant opening in the media sector, Bouagila noted. However, this momentum was abruptly interrupted by the events of July 2021 and the subsequent concentration of power in Saied’s hands, he said. The case of Inkyfada is among the most emblematic of this crackdown. Widely known in Tunisia and abroad for its investigations into Tunisian politics and society - including reports on the abuses targeting the sub-Saharan migrant community after Saied described them as a demographic threat - the outlet represents a rare free space for thousands of readers. “Looking ahead to 1 June, let us be clear: we have by no means broken the law or the norms of civil society work in Tunisia. We have done everything by the book, including the consistent declaration of all foreign funding. We expect nothing less than justice,” the outlet’s editorial director told MEE. “What we are witnessing in Tunisia is no longer just a shift in attitude; it is a systematic, structural crackdown on independent media and civil society,” Lassoued added. Inside Tunisia Tunis News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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