Tunisia's Crackdown on Civil Society Groups

The Tunisian government has systematically cracked down on civil society groups and their members since 2024. This campaign has all but shut down the vibrant civic space that emerged following the country's 2011 revolution, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch.

The 49-page report, titled "'We Are Living on Borrowed Time': Repression of Civil Society in Tunisia," documents escalating repression. The authorities are weaponizing abusive prosecutions, arbitrary arrests, financial investigations, and mass suspensions.

"Civil society groups in Tunisia play a key role in holding power to account, delivering essential services, and advocating for people's human rights," said Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. He stated the authorities are abusing every tool to close civic space.

Escalating Arrests and Abusive Prosecutions

Since 2022, President Kais Saied has publicly demonized NGOs as a threat to national sovereignty. Between May and December 2024, authorities arrested several workers at groups providing aid to refugees and fighting discrimination. They have since prosecuted at least 47 people connected to nongovernmental groups.

At least 10 people have been held in preventive detention for longer than 14 months. This exceeds the maximum period permitted under Tunisian law. The authorities have used laws criminalizing assistance to foreigners with irregular immigration status, as well as 2015 counterterrorism and money laundering legislation, to bring charges.

Following trials in 2025 and 2026, at least 14 people connected to civil society have been convicted and sentenced to prison. A prominent human rights defender, Saadia Mosbah, was sentenced to eight years in prison and a heavy fine on March 19, 2026, on abusive charges of financial crimes. Five employees of asylum groups have also been convicted on abusive charges related to their legally registered work. The targeted associations have since ceased their activities.

Weaponized Investigations and Mass Suspensions

The authorities have targeted associations en masse with financial and criminal investigations. At the end of 2024, shortly before the presidential election, the Tax Evasion Investigation and Prevention Brigade notified at least a dozen associations it was investigating them. This list included Amnesty International's regional office and the local anti-corruption group I Watch.

These investigations impose a heavy administrative burden. They have resulted in the freezing of at least two associations' bank accounts. Human Rights Watch says the systematic use of such probes raises serious concerns they are being weaponized to intimidate civil society.

Between July-October 2025 and April-May 2026, the authorities abused Decree-Law 2011-88 on associations to mass suspend organizations. Human Rights Watch identified at least 20 suspended civil society associations, though an exact number is impossible to determine without official data.

These suspensions appear to circumvent due process. Some associations did not receive the formal warnings required by law. Others attempted to respond to allegations but received no reply. Suspending an association is a drastic measure that should only be a last resort with clear justification and independent review.

These groups now face serious risk of dissolution. Lawyers told Human Rights Watch that officials have dismissed appeals from approximately 30 associations. The independent media publisher Al Khatt and the group Mnemty are currently facing dissolution proceedings. The judiciary ordering the suspensions has been under executive control since 2022.

Additional Restrictions and Legislative Threats

Associations face other restrictions alongside the direct crackdown. Private banks have imposed unwarranted restrictions on many groups. These include revoking access to hard currency accounts, blocking foreign funds, or closing bank accounts entirely.

Some groups report authorities have denied their election observation accreditation. They have imposed more stringent regulations on access to prisons and detention facilities or banned certain public events.

The Tunisian authorities have also repeatedly sought to replace the legislative framework governing associations. Two bills, one leaked in early 2022 and another submitted to parliament in October 2023, would give the government significant control over the establishment, activities, operations, and funding of independent groups.

Human Rights Watch calls on the authorities to stop restricting freedom of association and end abusive investigations and judicial harassment. They should release all NGO workers and activists arbitrarily detained and overturn unjust convictions. Parliament should withdraw draft laws violating the right to freedom of association.

The international community, including the European Union, is urged to press Tunisian authorities privately and publicly. Tunisia is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. These treaties guarantee rights to freedom of association, assembly, and expression, and protection from arbitrary detention.

"By dismantling the space for civil society, the authorities are trying to ensure no one is left to hold them accountable," Khawaja said.