press releaseIt's been a year since President Kais Saied of Tunisia fired 57 judges and prosecutors, accusing them of financial and "moral" corruption and obstructing investigations. The government ignored the court order even though it is not subject to appeal. Amid the gloomy news of political arrests and courts under pressure, civil society activists were energised by the huge turnout and impassioned speeches at a conference on 20 May in Tunis to defend judicial independence. The current threat to judicial independence has overshadowed the fact that it was hardly robust before Saied moved to snuff it out. The revolution led to a change of mentality and to a constitution that enshrined judicial independence.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 02, 2023 13:49 UTC