Tunisian President signs a decree to establish the "Interim Supreme Judicial Council"
Thousands of Tunisians protested Sunday hours after Tunisian President Kais Saied signed a decree to replace the Supreme Judicial Council, which he dissolved last week and gave itself the power to dismiss judges as well as prevent them from striking.
Hours after the decree was published on Sunday morning, more than two thousand demonstrators gathered in the center of the Tunisian capital, carrying flags and chanting slogans in support of the independence of the judiciary.
Qais Saeed’s signing of the decree came a week after he announced the dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council, months after his dismissal of the government in a country that is seen as the only survivor of the repercussions of the so-called “Arab Spring” in countries that have witnessed uprisings since 2011.
However, his decision to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council, which was established in 2016 to protect judges from government influence, again angered critics who said it was establishing the return of dictatorship 11 years after the fall of the Zine El Abidine Ben Ali regime.
These fears have been fueled by the increasing use of military courts to try civilians.
The decree establishing the “Temporary Supreme Council of the Judiciary” - which names the president some of its members - gives Said the power to “request the dismissal of every judge who violates his professional duties.”
The decree also states that “judges of all kinds are prohibited from striking and all organized collective action that would disrupt or disrupt the normal functioning of the courts.”
On Sunday, the International Commission of Jurists said that the decree "consolidates the power in the hands of the President of the Republic and the Executive and effectively ends any aspect of judicial independence in the country."
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