You can access the report via this link: Civic Space From a Space of Freedoms to a Sphere of Prosecution
Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms issued today, Monday, March 30, 2026, its report on violations affecting civil space, titled “Civic Space: From a Space of Freedoms to a Sphere of Prosecution.”
The report documents the increasing pace of restrictions and legal and judicial prosecutions targeting civil actors in Tunisia during the period from February 2025 to the end of March 2026, in a context marked by a campaign driven by accusations of treason and allegations of foreign affiliation.
The report documents 37 cases of violations, including 23 cases related to civil society work, 9 cases concerning political activity, and 3 cases in the field of social work, in addition to 2 cases related to digital expression. This reflects a recurring pattern of repression that has disrupted the functioning of civil space and led to the prosecution of several activists due to their activities and expression.
The report also provides an analytical reading of the broader context, which shows a decline in guarantees for freedom of civil action. It traces patterns of prosecution, including the use of criminal and misdemeanor charges such as money laundering, conspiracy, financial suspicions, and receiving foreign funding, in addition to the use of Decree-Law No. 54 of 2022.
During the period covered, these policies included arrests and imprisonment, extended periods of detention in custody, raids and searches of association offices, suspension of activities and closure of premises, as well as intensive financial audits aimed at restricting the work of civil society actors.
In light of the documented violations and systematic repressive policies, Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms stresses the urgent need to take measures to put an end to these practices. In this regard, it calls for a set of recommendations, foremost among them the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees held in connection with their civil, political, or trade union activities, and an end to the use of judicial proceedings as a tool to target civil space.
The association also emphasizes the need to end the use of pretrial detention as a means of pressure and intimidation, particularly by limiting excessive extensions of detention beyond legal limits, while ensuring respect for the presumption of innocence.
It further calls for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed under international law, notably freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association, as well as the right to engage in human rights, political, and trade union activities. It also urges the establishment of a legal and legislative framework that protects these rights and ensures their exercise without restriction or criminalization.
You can access the report via this link: Civic Space From a Space of Freedoms to a Sphere of Prosecution
