Human Rights Watch Reports Systematic Crackdown on Tunisian Civil Society

Human Rights Watch has released a report concluding that Tunisian President Kais Saied is attempting to shutter the country's civil society entirely. The international watchdog states that authorities are using arbitrary prosecutions, detentions, and financial investigations to stifle independent voices and remove checks on the president's rule. According to the report, at least 47 people connected to nongovernmental organizations have been prosecuted, and at least 14 have been convicted and sentenced to prison following trials in 2025 and 2026. One prominent human rights defender, Saadia Mosbah, received an eight year prison sentence on financial crime charges in March. The crackdown has specifically targeted organizations working on sensitive issues such as migration, with some workers arrested during periods of heightened tension over sub Saharan Africans in Tunisia. Authorities have also utilized money laundering and counterterrorism laws to bring charges against activists. Financial pressure has been applied through the Tax Evasion Investigation and Prevention Brigade, which investigated at least a dozen associations including I Watch and Amnesty International's regional office. These actions have led to frozen bank accounts and restrictions on foreign funds. In addition to individual prosecutions, authorities have used Decree Law 2011 88 to suspend at least 20 civil society organizations. President Saied has rejected accusations of authoritarianism, arguing that his measures are necessary to fight corruption and protect national interests from foreign funding. Since dissolving parliament in July 2021, Saied has faced growing public discontent. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Tunis to demonstrate against democratic backsliding and worsening living conditions, including water and electricity outages. Some protesters have called for the president's resignation using slogans from the Arab Spring.