Human Rights Deteriorate in Tunisia Under President Kais Saied

By Peyton Dashiell, Staff Writer

Tunisian President Kais Saied provoked controversy in late February and early March after a series of inflammatory anti-migrant statements and increasingly authoritarian political actions. On Feb. 25, Saied released a public declaration calling for the expulsion of all illegal migrants in Tunisia. In the document, he blamed sub-Saharan African migrants for increased crime and violence. He alleged a “criminal plot” to change Tunisia’s racial demographics, mirroring the “Great Replacement” theory discussed by white supremacists in Europe and North America. In recent weeks, arbitrary detentions have surged in Tunisia. Saied aims to stifle dissent and opposition by imprisoning dozens of media figures, businesspeople, and political opposition members — particularly those connected to the Ennahda Party and National Salvation Front coalition — on tenuous security-related charges.

Saied’s anti-immigrant rhetoric has gravely endangered sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisia, emboldening racist attacks both in-person and online. Ange Seri Soka, president of an Ivorian advocacy organization in Tunisia, has stated that some of the 5,000 Ivorians in Tunisia have been driven out of their homes and forced to sleep in rural olive groves. The Ivory Coast, Mali and Gabon have cooperated with the Tunisian government to voluntarily repatriate 1,300 citizens who wish to return home. Tunisian universities have also begun offering a virtual class option for those fearing racist attacks.

Already grappling with a political crisis and economic downturn, Tunisians have begun to protest in the streets against Saied’s actions but face suppression from local authorities. Citing a plot against state security forces, Tunis officials denied protest permits to the National Salvation Front and threatened organizers with legal action. However, this did not halt demonstration plans. On Feb. 25, around 1,000 Tunisians gathered in Tunis to protest Saied’s racist attack on migrants. Additionally, the National Salvation Front and the Tunisian Labor Union (UGTT) mobilized approximately 3,000 supporters in Tunis to condemn Saied’s authoritarian measures and governmental failures, particularly the targeting of unions, arbitrary detentions, and general economic impoverishment. They specifically called for the release of Anis Kaabi, a UGTT official detained since February for participation in strikes. While protesters were met with verbal threats from police, the demonstrations were not stopped by force.

Unfortunately, the current developments follow a concerning pattern of human rights violations under Saied’s leadership. Prior to recent events, Saied has come under fire for violating freedom of speech, targeting opposition and using military courts to jail his political enemies through opaque sham trials. Leading the country once hailed as the only democracy in the Arab world, Saied enacted a successful self-coup in July 2021, suspending the parliament and dismissing Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi from his post to seize almost absolute power. Throughout the past two years, Saied has continued to consolidate his rule. In July 2022, Saied initiated a referendum on a new constitution to replace the document enacted in 2014. The new constitutional draft expanded presidential power drastically weakened the judicial branch and threatened the secular nature of the government by characterizing Tunisia as an Islamic country.

Many criticized the constitution drafting process for lack of transparency and non-inclusion of civil society groups and non-governmental organizations. While the constitution passed with nearly 95 percent of votes, a mere 30 percent of eligible voters appeared at the polls –groups like the Free Constitutional Party explicitly boycotted the election to avoid legitimizing Saied’s power grab, while other individuals failed to vote due to apathy and a lack of faith in the democratic process.

While Saied’s government defended his recent remarks, with Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine calling accusations of racism “unjustified” and saying Tunisia equally applies the law to all who violate it, Saied has responded to public outcry by offering several protections for migrants and assuring that Tunisia is “proud to be African.” He relaxed visa policies for migrants, extending visa-free stays from three months to six months, and will allow mi- grants who overstay their visas to leave the country without paying fines. Additionally, a medical and psychological hotline has been set up for migrants to receive assistance and report violations of their rights.

However, the damage of Saied’s rhetoric has been done, and the outcry against Saied’s racist sentiments has extended far beyond Tunisia’s borders – many multinational bodies and civil society organizations have denounced the repressive measures of his regime. On March 7, Agence FrancePresse reported that the World Bank plans to halt cooperation with Tunisia on its Country Partnership Framework due to Saied’s “racially motivated harassment and even violence.” Additionally, the African Union condemned Saied’s “radicalized hate speech” and postponed the “Pan-African Network Conference on Fighting Illicit Financial Flows in Africa,” which was scheduled to take place in Tunis from March 15 to 17.

Saied’s racist remarks represent a common tactic among unpopular politicians to distract from their failing policies — utilizing nationalism to unite their citizens against an “other” rather than their government. However, the public response to his statement shows that most Tunisians have not taken the bait. Amnesty International stands with the Tunisian people in calling for an end to Kais Saied’s racism, arbitrary detentions and authoritarian seizure of power.