Summary:

On 7 March 2023, Interior Minister Toufik Charfeddine made controversial statements about union organizers, politicians, journalists, and businessmen, accusing them of having “allied themselves against the Tunisian people.” He referred to this group as “mercenaries” and “traitors.”

Following Charfeddine’s statements, numerous civil society organizations spoke out against the comments, accusing the Interior Minister of incitement. The groups compared his statements to those made during the pre-revolution period when dissent was commonly discouraged in Tunisia.

Meanwhile, three opposition figures arrested in February have announced via their legal representation that they have begun hunger strikes in protest of their arrests and treatment while in detention. The government has yet to provide comment on the arrest of the three individuals, Khayam Turki, a former senior official, Ghazi Chaouachi, a politician, and Jawher ben Mbarek, a political activist.

Outlook:  

Arrests of opposition figures and inflammatory rhetoric by officials hold the potential to raise the risk of backlash over time: either in the form of civil unrest due to frustration or in the incremental erosion of the rule of law. Recent statements by President Kais Saied against black migrants showed the power of rhetoric to translate into instability in the streets. Ongoing political dialogue of this nature risks creating an environment in which there is a higher potential for violence for all parties involved. Our team will continue closely monitoring the local outworking of the ongoing political dialogue.

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