Tunisia ordered a one-month suspension of the Human Rights League (LTDH) on April 24, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said. The league called the move part of a "wider pattern of increasingly systematic curbs" on civil society since President Kais Saied expanded his powers in 2021. LTDH — founded in 1976 and a key human rights advocate — has also been barred from prison inspections. The action follows earlier suspensions of other organizations and comes as a reporter was detained after criticizing the judiciary.
Tunisia Suspends Nobel-Winning Human Rights League For One Month Amid Growing Crackdown
FILE PHOTO: Tunisia's President Kais Saied attends his swearing-in ceremony for his second term at the parliament in Tunis, Tunisia October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
TUNIS, April 24 — Tunisian authorities on April 24 ordered a one-month suspension of activities by the Human Rights League (LTDH), the group said in a statement. LTDH was one of four civil-society organizations that together won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize as the National Dialogue Quartet.
No immediate comment was available from the government.
League Says Suspension Is Part Of Broader Pattern
The league described the measure as part of a "wider pattern of increasingly systematic curbs on civil society and on free and independent voices," saying the suspension fits a series of restrictions imposed since 2021.
In October, Tunisian authorities suspended several prominent organizations, including the Democratic Women association and the Economic and Social Rights Forum. Rights groups have said these actions form part of an unprecedented crackdown on non-governmental organizations, opposition groups and journalists following President Kais Saied's expansion of powers in 2021.
LTDH's Role And Recent Restrictions
Founded in 1976, the Human Rights League is widely regarded as a cornerstone of human rights advocacy in Tunisia and one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the Arab world and Africa. LTDH, an outspoken critic of President Saied, has repeatedly warned that Tunisia is sliding toward authoritarian rule since the suspension of parliament in 2021 and the subsequent rule by decree.
In recent months the league has been prevented from visiting prisons to inspect detainees' conditions in several cities, the group said.
Official Response And Ongoing Concerns
President Saied has said he will not be a dictator and has insisted that freedoms remain guaranteed in Tunisia, adding that "no one is above the law, regardless of their name or position."
Separately, prominent Tunisian reporter Zied Heni was detained on Friday after publishing an article critical of the judiciary, his lawyer said.
The suspension of a Nobel laureate organization marks a significant escalation in tensions between Tunisia's authorities and civil society and is likely to draw renewed scrutiny from international rights groups and foreign governments.
Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Edmund Klamann.
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