Tunisia Suspends Decades-Old Rights Groups as Civil Society Crackdown Intensifies

Author: Sheetal Frank

May 29, 2026

HRRC strongly condemns the crackdown on non-governmental organisations and human rights workers and calls on the Tunisian government to immediately release those detained or imprisoned and end all arbitrary arrests and suspensions, allowing the work of civil liberty organisations to continue and have the right to expression.

Demonstrations waving Tunisian flags during a protest organised by the Tunisian Network for Rights and Freedoms in Tunisia in September 2024 [Photo credit: Chedly Ben Ibrahim/Nurphoto Via AP]

Tunisian authorities have intensified their crackdown on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) since President Kais Saied consolidated power in 2021, with at least 25 organisations suspended in the past year alone and now at risk of permanent dissolution.

Over the past two years, an increased number of organisations working on human rights, migration, anti-racism, social justice, media freedom and corruption have been targeted by the government to shut down operations through court-ordered suspensions and judicial administrative harassment under the pretext of combating “suspicious foreign funding and protecting national interests”.

The government has also carried out arbitrary arrests, detention, asset freezes and bank restrictions on human rights defenders and NGO’s, which violates Tunisia’s constitution and its obligation under International Human Rights law, suppressing freedom of speech and expression.

Courts have issued a 30-day suspension order against at least 25 organisations over the past year, says Amnesty International. Some of these include the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights, Lawyers without Borders in Africa, which has been operating in Tunisia since 2012, an anti-racism association and many others. NGOs have attempted to appeal against the 30-day suspension order but have been denied and now face a risk of being dissolved.

The Tunisian association Calam has confirmed that it is unable to provide support to victims of gender-based violence following the suspension of Lawyers Without Borders, known as Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) in French, a key partner of the organisation, leaving many vulnerable individuals without access to vital legal aid. 

Authorities have restricted almost every form of independent civil society, making it extremely difficult for civil liberty organisations to arrange events, meetings, venues, and community activities to carry out their daily tasks and operate in the country. 

This has also affected journalists, lawyers and activists as they are monitored and prosecuted if they criticise Kais Saied’s government, lawyers and activists convicted to long-term prison sentences on vague charges such as terrorism or conspiracy against state security, said Human Rights Watch.

United Nations (UN) Chief Volker Türk has called on the Tunisian government to end the widespread repression targeting civil society organisations, journalists, human rights defenders, activists and opposition figures with legal action and administrative restrictions. He urged the authorities to release those detained or imprisoned for expressing their views immediately, as protected under international human rights law and lift all arbitrary restrictions on the “freedoms of expression and association”. 

Amnesty International has also criticised the Tunisian government and urged it to end intimidation and criminal prosecutions of human rights defenders and NGO workers doing legitimate work to defend human rights, and to release those detained and remove all measures, including asset freezes and arbitrary suspensions.

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Glossary

• Account freeze - Restrictions are put in place on a bank account to prevent outgoing transactions, purchases, withdrawals, and transfers.

• Amnesty International- A human rights movement which investigates human rights abuses and campaigns for justice.

• Arbitrary arrests - Detention or deprivation of an individual’s liberty without a legitimate reason or not following the law.

• Civil Society - A collective of non-governmental organisations and community groups that operate separately from the state and promote social justice.

• Crackdown - Authorities use intense measures to enforce rules, suppress behaviours and punish lawbreakers.

• Detained - A temporary holding situation where the person is not free to leave but has not yet been charged.

• Dissolution - The forceful shutdown of NGO groups, civil society or political parties by the government.

• Freedom of speech and expression - A fundamental right that allows individuals to express their views, beliefs and ideas without fear of legal consequences.

• Human Rights Watch - A non-governmental organisation that investigates and documents human rights abuses and advocates for the protection of vulnerable groups.

• Intensified - Something that is made stronger, deeper or more extreme.

• Intimidation - The act of threatening or frightening someone to try to silence them or do something they normally wouldn’t do.

• International human rights law - A body of law created to promote and protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals and groups.

• Legal aid - A government-funded financial assistance that covers legal advice, court trials, and mediation for those who cannot afford legal costs.

• National interest - A sovereign state’s set of goals and objectives to defend and protect things like social development, health, education and economy.

• Non-governmental organisations - NGOs and human rights organisations working on public interest, such as humanitarian aid and human rights advocacy.

• Pretext - A false reason and fabrication to hide real motives.

• Repression - Control by a state over its citizens to restrict political participation to maintain power through surveillance, imprisonment, or violence.

• Suspensions - The act of stopping something from operating for a specific time.