International reactions continued to condemn Tunisian President Kais Saied's decision to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council, and internal warnings escalated after about forty civil organizations, including the Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists and Lawyers Without Borders, announced their rejection of the decision.
The Tunisian president announced last Sunday evening that he had decided to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council, and that he would issue a law or temporary decree in this regard.
The United Nations considered Said's decision a serious undermining of the rule of law.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, also urged the Tunisian president to reverse course.
Dujarric said he shared the same concern, Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, about the move.
Bachelet said yesterday that "this is a major step in the wrong direction," adding that Said's decision "is a clear breach of Tunisia's obligations under international human rights law."
serious threat
For its part, Amnesty International said that the Tunisian president's moves to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council constitute a "serious threat to human rights in Tunisia."
The organization called on President Saeed to reverse plans to dissolve the council and "stop actions that threaten the independence of the judiciary."
Earlier yesterday, the ambassadors of the Group of Seven rich countries to Tunisia and the European Union envoy - in a joint statement - expressed "grave concern" about the decision.
The ambassadors of the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the European Union said - in their statement - that "a transparent, independent and effective judiciary and the separation of powers are essential to an effective democracy that serves its people."
Meeting with ambassadors
In this context, Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Al-Jarandi stressed, during a meeting with the ambassadors of the "Group of Seven" accredited in Tunisia and the representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, that the democratic process in Tunisia and respect for human rights and freedoms are irreversible options.
And according to what was stated in a statement by the Tunisian Foreign Ministry, the minister indicated that the dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council falls within the framework of continuing to correct the democratic path,
He stressed that the council's dissolution does not imply a will to interfere with the judiciary or seize it, but rather falls within the path of reforming the judicial system and moving forward on the path of strengthening the independence of the judiciary, and distancing the judiciary from politicization that has obstructed the course of justice and decided on important issues, according to the Tunisian Foreign Minister. .
internal rejection
In parallel with the external warnings, internal condemnation of the president's decision continued, as more than forty civil organizations in Tunisia announced their rejection of any interference from the executive authority in the work of the judiciary.
These organizations - including the Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists and Lawyers Without Borders - said that the Supreme Judicial Council is the only structure that guarantees the independence of an institution of the judiciary in accordance with the constitution.
On the other hand, these organizations rejected what they considered the fallacy of public opinion in terms of considering the Supreme Judicial Council solely responsible for deciding cases;
Since the Council is not a court and does not issue judgments.
It called for unifying efforts and renewing the commitment to defend constitutional and independent bodies as a cornerstone in the democratic building that Tunisia has pursued.
judges strike
Meanwhile, the Executive Office of the Association of Tunisian Judges (Independent) decided to suspend work in all courts today, Wednesday and Thursday, and called for a protest sit-in in front of the headquarters of the Supreme Judicial Council on Thursday, in refusal to dissolve the Council.
The association said - in a statement - that it calls on "all judges of the three categories - judicial, administrative and financial - to completely suspend work in all Tunisian courts on Wednesday and Thursday."
She explained that this comes "in protest against the blatant violation of the independence of the judiciary by the President of the Republic and the dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council as the last guarantee for the separation of powers and achieving a balance between them."