Tunisia Military Court Orders Release of Two Opposition Politicians -Lawyer

Tunisia’s military court released two opposition politicians from jail amid growing human rights concerns during the current political crisis. One of the politicians is Seifeddine Makhlouf, head of the conservative Karama party; his lawyer announced his release on Monday, January 17th. The current political crisis started on July 25, when Tunisian President Kais Saied announced the dismissal of the government and freezing of Parliament. Since this intervention, several opposition politicians and leaders have been detained or prosecuted, many of them on charges of corruption or defamation.

The release of the two politicians was not President Saied’s intention, as he actually wanted to prolong their imprisonment. “The Public Prosecution requested the court to resume their imprisonment, however the military court refused the request and subsequently launched them‮”,‬ Anouar Awled Ali informed Reuters. Several human rights organizations have criticized the arrests that occured since Saied’s governance. After Saied made his announcement on July 25th, Tunisian Parliament Speaker and Ennahda leader wrote a guest essay for The New York Times, saying “I believe his actions are unconstitutional and threaten Tunisia’s democracy.”

The release of the two opposition politicians comes as a relief during this human rights crisis in Tunisia. President Saied’s overtake of the government should be seen as an assault on Tunisia’s democratic values. Therefore, it is important for the international community to condemn his extreme actions, before the situation escalates and turns into a downfall of their democracy. A country where only one person has all the power will lead to more corruption and violations of human rights, which is likely for Tunisia considering their tumultuous political past. Tunisians have worked hard to build a democracy over the past decade, so President Saied should take the appropriate steps to reverse his actions and build a Parliament which can address their issues that led to this moment. As they did in the past, it is critical for the leaders of Tunisia to be able to come together to overcome their difficulties. 

On July 25, President Saied claimed almost all control in Tunisia through a televised speech in which he announced new measures. The President did this in response to a series of protests, the ongoing economic crisis, and the significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the country. The decision to suspend the work of the elected legislature is distressing due to the decade of hard work by Tunisians making democratic reforms. Many human rights organizations, foreign media outlets and Tunisian political entities have criticized President Saied and called his actions a self-coup. There are several opposition groups, among which the Karama party. Seifeddine Makhlouf, head of the party, is among the two opposition politicians who was just released. The two were arrested in September of 2021 for assaulting policemen. 

The release of the two opposition politicians feels like a step in the right direction towards a return to a stable democracy in Tunisia. Hopefully, President Saied stands by his decision to uphold the rights and freedoms won in the Tunisian revolution of 2011, which marks the beginning of their democracy.

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