Tunisian President Kais Saied, who assumed full powers at the end of July, on Sunday dissolved the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM), which oversees justice, accusing it of bias and serving political interests.
“The CSM is a thing of the past from this moment on,” the president said in a video released overnight where he is seen chatting with ministers.
He accuses this independent constitutional body of corruption and of having slowed down procedures, such as the investigations into the 2013 assassinations of left-wing activists.
"In this council, positions and appointments are sold and made according to affiliations", affirmed the Head of State, adding: "you cannot imagine the money that certain judges have been able to receive, billions and billions.
For him, “the place of the judges (of the CSM) is not where they are but on the dock”.
According to observers, he is thus targeting the Ennahdha party, his pet peeve, which has controlled Parliament and the various governments for the past ten years, after the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the 2011 revolution.
Files manipulated or slowed down
The “July 25 movement”, which brings together its supporters, had called on Saturday Kais Saied to dissolve the CSM to “purge” the judiciary of “corrupt magistrates”.
In the video, the president encouraged them to "demonstrate freely" on Sunday, despite a ban on all gatherings for health reasons, reiterated on Saturday by the Ministry of the Interior.
In addition, a major demonstration is planned to commemorate the assassination on February 6, 2013 of left-wing leader Chokri Belaïd and that of Mohamed Brahmi, killed in similar circumstances on July 25, 2013. “Unfortunately, some judges in the courts have manipulated the Chokri Belaïd file”, denounced Kais Saied, about the leader who was shot three times near his home.
“This is not the first trial where they have tried to hide the truth for years,” he added.
The two assassinations had been claimed by extremist Islamists, causing a political crisis which had led to the withdrawal of the Ennahdah party from power.
The “red line” crossed?
Kais Saied has concentrated all power since July 25, when he dismissed his Prime Minister and froze Parliament, a decision described as a "coup d'etat" by Ennahdha and other opponents. It has since appointed a government but takes its decisions by decree. In mid-December, he announced a constitutional referendum for this summer and legislative elections in December. On January 19, he had already withdrawn a series of benefits in kind from members of the CSM (fuel at a subsidized rate, transport and accommodation bonuses).
The president assured "to work on a provisional decree" to reorganize the CSM.
In a statement, Kais Saied argued that “one of the first rights of Tunisians is to have a fair judicial system whose conduct is controlled by judges who apply only the law”.
The CSM, created in 2016 to oversee the independence of justice and the reforms necessary for this purpose, is composed of 45 members, for two thirds of the magistrates elected by Parliament who elect the remaining third.
A respected judge, Raoudha Karafi, honorary president of the Association of Tunisian magistrates recently expressed concern in the press about attacks on the independence of justice.
The president “had made a commitment not to affect rights and freedoms, but also the judicial power!
Justice is a red line not to be crossed,” she warned.
Since this summer, many Tunisian and international NGOs have been concerned about an "autocratic drift" of power.
With the dissolution of the CSM, has the red line separating the Kais Saied regime from the dictatorship been crossed?
World
Tunisia: What do we know about the political crisis in the country?
World
Tunisia in full political crisis before major deadlines in 2022
Corruption
Justice
World
Tunisia
Dictatorship
0 comment
0 share
Share on Messenger
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Flipboard
Share on Pinterest
Share on Linkedin
Send by Mail
To safeguard
A fault ?
To print