Zied Ghanney

Summary

Zied Ghanney is a Tunisian political activist, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Tunisian Democratic Current Party (Attayar), and a member of the parliament of 2019. On Sunday, July 9th, on his way to Tunis-Carthage Airport, with the intent to travel and return to his home and family, he was informed that he was banned from traveling due to a judicial decision following his involvement in a case related to conspiring against the State Security

Personal Information

Name: Zied Ghanney

Occupation: Tunisian politician, Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Party, and a member of the parliament of 2019

Nationality: Tunisian

Case: Conspiring against the state security

Violation Incidents

On Sunday, July 9, 2023, member of the parliament of 2019, Zied Ghanney, headed to Tunis-Carthage, intending to travel and return to his home and family. Yet, he found himself banned from traveling without prior warning or notice. Subsequent to the visit of the President of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights, Bassem Trifi, and Attorney Samia Abbou to the Court of First Instance in Tunis to examine the details of the decision and reasons for the travel ban, it was revealed that a decision was issued by the investigating judge on June 25, 2023, which imposed a travel ban on Zied Ghanney. This was after including his name along with several other former members of the parliament in a case filed by the executive authority, accusing him of conspiring against State Security on the grounds of participating in the plenary session of the Assembly of People’s Representatives, which was conducted virtually by the end of March 2022, almost a year since the President of the Republic had taken action to freeze all the parliamentary activities

Human Rights Violations

The decision to impose a travel ban on political activist Zied Ghanney on the grounds of his political activity and his role as an elected member of the parliament is a flagrant violation of human rights, especially the right to movement, which is a fundamental right embedded in the Tunisian Constitution of 2022, under Article 30 which states that Citizens have the right to choose their place of residence and the right to move freely within the country, as well as the right to leave it. Moreover, this right is protected by Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Attending a plenary meeting as a member of the parliament with the rest of the members is an action that should not be subjected to criminalization or lead to the trial of individuals. This falls under the right to engage in political activities freely, including holding meetings, forums, and similar activities, which is guaranteed under Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stating that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.” In this regard, Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms condemns the arbitrary decision against Deputy Zied Ghanney, which prohibits him from traveling, as well as the Tunisian Government’s targeting of its opponents, prosecuting them and accusing them of malicious charges, such as conspiring against the State Security. Intersection Association also denounces the systematic repression adopted by the Tunisian Authorities against freedom of expression and the undermining of political rights with such arbitrary decisions. These decisions constitute a blatant transgression of local and international conventions and a severe violation of human rights

Sources

The case of Tunisian Politician Zied Ghanney was documented after communicating with him on Monday, July 10, 2023. In addition, several relevant media statements and blog posts were reviewed