https://arab.news/8ydk8
- President Kais Saied’s removal of the judges was the latest sign of growing interference in the judiciary as he tightens his grip on power
TUNIS: Tunisian lawyers and judges held a small protest outside the capital’s courts on Wednesday as part of their weeklong strike following the president’s dismissal of 57 judges.
President Kais Saied’s removal of the judges was the latest sign of growing interference in the judiciary as he tightens his grip on power. Critics accused Saied of staging a coup in July 2021 after he sacked the government and took on executive powers.
Dozens of lawyers and activists gathered on the steps of the Palace of Justice in Tunis to denounce Saied’s actions. Some shouted “Down with the coup,” and others chanted, “Judicial authority, no police orders.” Several lawyers said they would continue their opposition to the president’s actions, which include ditching Tunisia’s 2014 constitution to rule instead by decree. Saied justified his actions by listing a long series of accusations with scant evidence against dozens of judges, ranging from alleged corruption and the illegal amassing of wealth to protecting terrorists and sexual harassment.
Hundreds of judges unanimously voted over the weekend to hold a sit-in and strike. They accused the president of ignoring the constitution and removing judges without “recourse to disciplinary procedure.”