Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms is monitoring with deep concern the judicial proceedings in the political case known in the media as the “Conspiracy Case,” which resulted in a large wave of arrests in Tunisia in February 2023.
The judicial authorities have decided to charge over forty opposition figures, including politicians and human rights activists.
The accused also include party leaders and independent political and rights figures.
And considering recent developments in the case, Intersection Association for Rights and freedoms condemns the authorities for holding the trial remotely and preventing the defendants from being present in court, which harms their right to defense and violates their fair trial rights, including the presumption of innocence, an independent judiciary, and public hearings, while keeping the case free from political influence.
Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms also denounces the measures taken throughout the investigation, including pressure on lawyers and legal action against them. It also criticizes the media ban issued on June 17, 2023, by the lead investigator at the counter terrorism judicial unit, which served as a censorship, silencing any voice that challenged the government’s story or presented evidence against its claims. At the same time, media platforms have been used to discuss the case as if it were a trial, presenting all defendants as guilty to influence public opinion and make the government’s version seem like it’s the only truth.
These different violations against political detainees in the “Conspiracy Case”, with other documented violations, show that the case lacks the simple conditions of a fair trial, judicial independence, happening in a context where the executive authority has taken control of the judiciary and legal system. This political case has become a symbol of how the authorities control and manipulate the legal process to serve their own interests and narrative.
Intersection Association for Rights and freedoms believes that this case is more than just a court, but a whole course of action to eliminate political freedoms and an autocratic rule, which is done by targeting opponents, controlling the judiciary, and using state institutions to intimidate and silence critics. This has also led to more human rights violations, especially concerning civil and political rights. Thus, In light if this on this, Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms demands the Tunisian government to take these actions:
-Immediately release the political detainees in the “Conspiracy Case” who have been held beyond the legal limit for detention.
-Allow local and international media, human rights observers, and organizations to attend court sessions to ensure fairness and transparency.
-Stop targeting political opponents and end legal actions against people with different political views and opinions.
-Ensure all fair trial guarantees as required by Tunisian law and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and allow defendants to attend their trials in person, canceling the decision to hold the trial remotely.