45 Tunisian judges call on president to withdraw decisions against judiciary

By Alaa Hammoudi

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) - Forty-five members of Tunisia’s judiciary urged President Kais Saied on Monday to step back from his recent decisions against judges, accusing him of violating their freedoms.

In a joint statement, the judges slammed the executive authority's treatment of the judiciary and "the encroachment on the jurisdiction of the courts and functions of the Supreme Judicial Council."

On July 25, Saied dismissed the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, suspended parliament and appointed himself head of the public prosecutor’s office.

The judiciary members called for the "immediate withdrawal of all arbitrary measures taken against the judges and to prevent its recurrence under any justification."

On July 31, Judge Bechir Akremi was placed under house arrest for 40 days, accused of hiding terrorism-related files.

Tunisian secular parties accused Akremi of hiding files related to the assassination of two secular leaders -- Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi -- in 2013.

On Wednesday, the Association of Tunisian Judges slammed the placing of Akremi under house arrest without notifying the Supreme Judicial Council of the reason and for not getting the council’s approval for the move.

Tunisia has been gripped by a deep crisis since Jan. 16, when Mechichi announced a cabinet reshuffle but Saied refused to hold a ceremony to swear in the new ministers.

Tunisia is seen as the only country that succeeded in carrying out a democratic transition among Arab countries that witnessed popular revolutions which toppled their ruling regimes, including Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar