Crackdown on human rights group

Authorities in Tunisia have ordered a one-month suspension of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, one of the oldest and most renowned rights groups in Africa and the Arab world, in the latest move raising concerns over a widening crackdown on civil society, reports the LA Times. The league, which is part of the National Dialogue Quartet, recipient of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, confirmed the suspension on Friday, warning that the decision amounted to ‘a serious and arbitrary violation of freedom of association’ and ‘a direct assault’ on one of Tunisia’s key democratic gains. President Kais Saied, who has consolidated power since 2021, has often cited foreign funding, which rights groups sometimes rely on, as a threat to Tunisia, using it to fuel a populist narrative and accuse his political opponents and social justice activists of being foreign agents and stirring unrest at home. The suspension follows a series of similar measures targeting rights groups in the North African country, where courts last year ordered multiple prominent NGOs to halt activities for a month, including organisations focused on migrants’ and women’s rights. The decision comes as journalist Zied El-Heni was placed under 48-hour detention over a Facebook post, amid a broader pattern of arrests and legal pressure targeting critics. Meanwhile, the investigative outlet Inkyfada faces a court hearing 11 as authorities pursue the dissolution of Al Khatt, the association that publishes it. The group said in a statement that it disputes the legal basis of the case and says the claims cited by the government have not been examined by Tunisian courts since 2024.