Tunisian judges urge president to reverse move to scrap judicial watchdog

By Amna El Yafarni

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) – The Association of Tunisia’s Judges on Saturday called on President Kais Saied to reverse a decree to dissolve the country’s top judicial watchdog.

On Thursday, Saied said he will issue a decree to dissolve the Supreme Judicial Council and name a new body, amid tension between him and judges.

“The executive authority is responsible for threats against judges after the inciting statements made by the president against them,” Anas al-Hammadi, the group's head, said during a meeting in the capital Tunis.

Al-Hammadi said the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Youssef Bouzacher, was informed by the Interior Ministry of “real threats” against his life.

The council is an independent constitutional body whose tasks include ensuring the independence of the judiciary, holding judges accountable, and granting them professional promotions.

Last week, the council rejected Saied’s decision to dissolve the judicial body, calling the move “unconstitutional”.

Tension has marred Saied’s relations with the council, with the Tunisian leader criticizing the judiciary over delays in issuing rulings in cases of corruption and terrorism.

Last July, Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority amid mounting public anger over economic stagnation and political paralysis.

While Saied insists that his "exceptional measures" were meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.

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

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara