Tunisia: Ex-Minister Sentenced To Ten Years In Prison

Noureddine Bhiri (66) is a leading member of Ennahdha and former Minister of Justice from 2011 to 2013 who served under a coalition government created following the ouster of long-time ruler Zine el Abidine Ben Ali on 14 January 2011. Noureddine Bhiri is a lawyer and standing member of the Tunisian Bar Association. He had also previously served as vice-president of Ennahdha, the main political party in Tunisia with a majority in parliament before President Kais Saied suspended it on 25 July 2021 citing emergency powers under Article 80 of the Constitution. The party has criticized President Saied's concentration of powers since the July 2021 suspension of parliament, calling it a coup. 
Authorities have particularly targeted members of Ennahdha, Tunisia’s largest opposition party and ordered the party to stop holding meetings at its offices. They initiated criminal investigations against at least 21 Ennahdha leaders and members and detained at least 12. On 30 October 2023, the Tunis appeal court sentenced Rached Ghannouchi, Ennahdha’s president and former speaker of the dissolved parliament, to 15 months’ imprisonment under the 2015 anti-terrorism law, based on his public remarks.
The arrest of Noureddine Bhiri on 13 February 2023 and his subsequent detention stem solely from critical online remarks that the authorities claim he had posted on 8 January 2023 on his private Facebook page, around the time of a demonstration organized by members of the National Salvation Front, an opposition coalition. A copy of the Facebook post was shared with Amnesty International by a member of his defence team. In the post, he calls for “peaceful resistance against the coup”. He says that “people shouldn’t be afraid of the coup and that they need leadership”. Additionally, Noureddine Bhiri denied being the author of the social media post. In any case, the speech in the Facebook post, which is no longer available online, is fully protected by international human rights law.
He has long suffered from diabetes and a high blood pressure, and normally takes regular medication for both ailments. His health is at risk. Under international human rights law, and specifically the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights everyone has the rights to freedom of expression, association and liberty. 
Noureddine Bhiri had already experienced arbitrary arrest and house arrest when men in civilian clothing arrested him and another man Fathi Beldi, a former Interior Ministry official, on 31 December 2021 and held them both at undisclosed locations for two days. Authorities subsequently placed both men under house arrest. On 7 March 2022, the Ministry of Interior lifted the house arrest and Tunisian authorities eventually filed no formal charges against both men. 
On 25 July 2021, President Saied claimed emergency powers that he said were granted to him by Tunisia's 2014 Constitution. Over 70 people, including political opponents, lawyers, journalists, activists and human rights defenders have been subjected to unfair prosecutions and/or arbitrary detention since the end of 2022. At least 40 people remain arbitrarily detained as of May 2024 in connection with the peaceful exercise of their human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly
On 15 October 2024, United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk urged the Tunisian government to respect human rights following a presidential campaign that was characterized by an assault on journalists, activists and the opposition.