Mondher Soodi

Summary

Mondher Soodi is a civil society activist whose house was raided and who was assaulted by police forces. He was then tried after being held in custody for two days starting from March 6, 2021, and was referred to trial. On November 11, 2021, a session was scheduled for Munther, during which the Tunisian Court of First Instance issued a verdict dismissing the case previously mentioned without consideration.

Personal Information

Name: Mondher Soodi

Nationality: Tunisian

Occupation: Civil Society Activist

Charges: Insulting a public official through speech and gesture under the provisions of Article 125 of the Penal Code

Incidents of Violation

On March 6, 2021, Mondher and his friends Mehdi Barhoumi and Sami Hamid were on the roof of Mondher's house located in the Mahrajen neighborhood in Tunis. An individual from the Tunisian police force barged into the house without a search warrant and violently attacked them. One of the officers arrested Mondher and his friends and took them to the Khadra District police station, where they were charged with assaulting a police officer. Monhder and his friends refused to sign the report prepared by the police officer without having their statements heard. Subsequently, the police officer who assaulted the group of friends justified the house invasion by stating that Monhder and his friends had thrown bottles and stones at him while verbally abusing the police and security unions.

Trial Procedures

On March 6, 2021, Mondher and his friends were transferred to the Bouchoucha Detention Center for investigation. They were kept in custody for two days and then referred to the court to decide on their case. Monddher was released, and a session was scheduled on November 11, 2021, at the Court of First Instance in Tunis. The verdict was fair for Monhder and his friends, as the court ordered dismissing the previously mentioned case.

Human Rights Violations

Forcibly invading Mondher’s home is considered a violation of the right to privacy as defined in the international charters and agreements, as it represents a flagrant violation of human rights and a suppression of opinion and expression, a right embodied in the Tunisian constitution and is considered as one of the most significant achievements of the Tunisian revolution.

Sources

To document this case, Intersection Association depended on the victim Monhder Soodi’s testimony through a post on his personal social media page, as well as social media publications by human rights advocates and statements of organizations that expressed their support for the victim.