Country portrait
Tunisia
North Africa
Following the rollback of democratic gains, presidential decrees, and the protection of judicial independence in Tunisia.
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Our position on Tunisia
We call for the restoration of judicial independence in Tunisia, the release of those detained on political grounds, and the repeal of executive decrees that override constitutional protections of expression, association, and fair trial.
— HuMENA
The Region, Connected
No country in MENA stands alone.
This country sits at the centre of the threads HuMENA follows — across borders where defenders flee, refugees move, and accountability converges.
Signature
Where our work concentrates here.
Five strategic areas — Civic Space, Defenders, Digital Rights, Governance, Diaspora. Bar height shows the depth of HuMENA's coverage in that area for this country.
Civic Space
Defending freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
Defenders
Protection support and case advocacy for defenders at risk.
Digital Rights
Surveillance accountability and digital safety for civil society.
Governance
Fair-trial monitoring, judicial independence, and inclusive governance.
Diaspora
Cross-border protection and amplification of exiled voices.
Chronicle
A working record of our interventions.
Statements, reports, advocacy moments, defender cases. Chronological. Growing.
Mar 2026
STATEMENTS
Feb 2026
PRESS RELEASES
Feb 2026
PRESS RELEASES
Jan 2026
PRESS RELEASES
Dec 2025
PRESS RELEASES
Dec 2025
NEWS
Nov 2025
JOINT STATEMENTS
Oct 2025
PRESS RELEASES
Jul 2025
JOINT STATEMENTS
Jul 2025
PRESS RELEASES
Jun 2025
PRESS RELEASES
May 2025
LEGAL & POLITICAL ANALYSIS
Apr 2025
LEGAL & POLITICAL ANALYSIS
Dec 2024
JOINT STATEMENTS
Oct 2024
JOINT STATEMENTS
Aug 2024
LEGAL & POLITICAL ANALYSIS
Aug 2024
LEGAL & POLITICAL ANALYSIS
Aug 2024
LEGAL & POLITICAL ANALYSIS
Aug 2024
LEGAL & POLITICAL ANALYSIS
At the international level
Where this work meets the institutions.
HuMENA carries documentation into the mechanisms with the most leverage — UN bodies, EU institutions, and joint civil-society coalitions.
UN UPR
Civil-society submissions on rule of law
EU dialogue
Briefings to EU institutions
Joint letters
With regional partners on detained politicians
Defenders
The people behind the work.
HuMENA stands with human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and activists. Where their identities can be public, we credit them. Where they cannot, we protect them.
Detained
AS
Abdallah Saïd
Abdallah Saïd was arrested in Tunisia on 12 November 2024 and charged with money laundering, forming a criminal association, and undermining state…
Released (conditional)AS
Ahmed Souab
Role and professional background not yet documented.
Ahmed Souab was arrested in Tunisia in April 2025 and sentenced to five years in prison on a terrorism apology charge. He…
Under restrictionArroi Baraket
Journalist and gender-equality advocate; Communications Officer for Minority Rights Group in Tunisia; documenter of social movements and anti-government protests.
Journalist convicted and fined after a police officer physically attacked her during a traffic stop, threw himself on her while punching her,…
SentencedAyachi Hammemi
Lawyer and human rights monitor; spokesperson for the committee defending 57 magistrates arbitrarily dismissed by presidential decree in 2022.
Ayachi Hammemi is a lawyer who defended 57 judges dismissed by presidential decree in 2022. Arrested in December 2025 while representing defendants…
Under restrictionBB
Badr Baabou
Co-founder and Chairman of Damj (Tunisian Association for Justice and Equality); co-chair of the M-Coalition, a regional HIV/AIDS advocacy network for LGBTI+ communities in the Middle East and North Africa.
Co-founder of Damj and advocate for LGBTI+ rights in Tunisia, Badr Baabou was attacked and robbed by police and security officers in…
Released (conditional)CM
Chadha Haj Mbarek
Human rights defender and civil society activist in Tunisia.
Chadha Haj Mbarek was arrested on 20 July 2023 and sentenced to five years in prison under Tunisia's national security laws. She…
Publications
Reports, statements, and analyses.
HuMENA at HRC61: Advocacy on Digital Rights and Civic Space in MENA
Tunisia | Prosecution of “Sumud Flotilla” Members Marks a Dangerous Escalation in the Criminalization of Solidarity with Gaza
Tunisian Authorities Face a Test of Their Commitment to Combating Racism: Human Rights Defender Saadia Mosbah Remains in Pretrial Detention Since 2024
Tunisia | Detention of MP Ahmed Saeedani and Risks to Parliamentary Independence
Tunisia | Criminalizing Journalism: Zghidi and Bessis Sentenced
Tunisia | January 14 Revolution: No Legitimacy for Repression in the Name of Public Order.
Tunisia | A life-threatening health emergency for lawyer and former administrative judge Ahmed Souab in detention, and the State’s duty to ensure medical care and end the criminalisation of the right to defence and freedom of expression
Tunisia | HuMENA welcomes the release of Sharifa Riahi and her colleagues, but release is not enough. It is time to end the criminalisation of civil society work linked to protecting migrants and refugees.
On Human Rights Day 2025: Civic Space in the Middle East and North Africa under Systematic and Sustained Pressure
Call for Trainer | Geneva Advocacy for WHRDs & LGBTQI+ Defenders
Call for Tenders | Lead Developer / Civic-Tech Team – Civic Space Watchdog (AI-Assisted MVP)
From Pledges to Implementation at COP30 (Belém, Brazil): Environmental and Climate Accountability, Equitable Loss and Damage Financing, and a Just Transition that Upholds Rights, Nature, and Biodiversity
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