Rejecting President Said's measures, a demonstration in the Tunisian capital and judges extend their strike for a third week

A demonstration called by the opposition Tunisian National Salvation Front took place on Sunday afternoon on Habib Bourguiba Street in the center of the Tunisian capital, at a time when judges approved the extension of the strike for a third week, in the context of political and judicial forces rejecting measures taken by President Kais Saied.

The National Salvation Front said that the demonstration came to defend democratic gains, reject what it called the play of dialogue and the referendum, and support the independence of the judiciary, as stated in a statement by the Front.

Since its founding was announced last April, the National Salvation Front has been engaged in anti-President Said movements, and called for the formation of a national salvation government to confront what it describes as the coup.

The front includes political entities and personalities opposed to the upcoming July 25 track, such as the Ennahda Movement, the Dignity Coalition, Qalb Tounes, "Tunisia Al-Irada", and "Citizens Against the Coup".

The Free Constitutional Party organized a demonstration in the Tunisian capital yesterday, Saturday, to the government headquarters in the Kasbah, to express its rejection of the referendum on the new constitution scheduled for next July 25, as well as for what the party described as the policies of dismantling the state pursued by President Said.

This comes at a time when the Coordinator of the Consultative Body for a New Republic, Sadiq Belaid, confirmed that the text of the new constitution will be delivered to the President of the Republic tomorrow, Monday.

Escalation of judges

On the other hand, the judges approved a set of escalatory moves, the most important of which was extending the strike for a third week due to what the judges considered the president’s ignoring of their demand to reverse the decision to dismiss 57 of their colleagues.

The head of the Judges Association, Anas Hammadi, said that the movement continues to counter interference by the executive authority.

The head of the Tunisian Ennahda Movement, Rached Ghannouchi, praised - during the movement's youth conference at the university - the judges' strike and their rejection of tyranny and turning them into a tool of the country's president, as he put it.

Ghannouchi added that Tunisia's gains over the past ten years, including democratic institutions, are now threatened by Tunisian President Kais Saied and his followers, he said.

In early June, Saeed issued a presidential order dismissing 57 judges from their duties on charges including changing the course of cases, obstructing investigations into terrorism files, and committing financial and moral corruption, which the judges deny.

This decree was rejected by Tunisian unions and parties and sharp international criticism, especially from the United States of America and Amnesty International.

In turn, the head of the Association of Young Judges, Mourad Masoudi, confirmed that he was subjected to threats of physical liquidation, accompanied by the head of the Association of Tunisian Judges, Anas Hammadi.

Al-Masoudi, in a radio statement, held President Saeed fully responsible in the event that their physical safety was harmed, as he put it.

For its part, the Tunisian Judicial Structures Coordination called on President Saied to enable the judges covered by the exemption order to have access to their files - under which they were exempted - unconditionally, to enable them to have their right to defend themselves.

The coordination called on the exempted judges to initiate all legal procedures for judicial redress and to exercise all appeals to address the exemption decision, which it described as unfair.

The Coordination of Judicial Structures expressed its full solidarity with the presidents of the Association of Tunisian Judges and the Tunisian Association of Young Judges, with regard to the targeting and threats against them.

The coordination held the two presidents responsible for the physical safety of the President and the Minister of Interior.

In the same context, Tunisian human rights activists announced in a statement the establishment of a committee to defend the independence of the judiciary, and to support the judges' movements in defense of their independence.

The founders announced that they would work to counter what they described as inflammatory rhetoric directed against judges, and aimed at demonizing the judicial institution to tighten control over it, as they put it.

The statement also mentioned that the committee will present proposals to achieve a real reform of the judiciary that guarantees litigants their right to good and prompt justice, as the founders said.