Tunisia: Tunisia Accused of Shutting Down Civil Society Through Sweeping Crackdown

What the report says

Human Rights Watch says Tunisian authorities have stepped up pressure on civil society through arrests, prosecutions, financial probes and suspensions, leaving the independent civic space that expanded after the 2011 revolution severely constrained. The report, cited by Radio France Internationale and distributed by AllAfrica, says at least 47 people connected to non-governmental groups have been prosecuted, with at least 10 kept in preventive detention beyond the legal limit of 14 months.

According to the article, at least 14 civil society figures were convicted and sentenced in 2025 and 2026. Among the cases highlighted was activist Saadia Mosbah, who was sentenced on 19 March to eight years in prison and fined on financial-crime charges that HRW described as abusive. The group said authorities have also used counterterrorism, anti-money-laundering and laws targeting assistance to people with irregular immigration status to pursue NGO workers and human rights defenders.

The pressure has been especially visible among organizations assisting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Between May and December 2024, workers from such groups were arrested, and five employees of asylum-related organizations were convicted on charges tied to their work. HRW said the targeted groups have since stopped operating. It also reported investigations into at least a dozen associations, including Amnesty International’s regional office and I Watch, with some bank accounts frozen and private banks restricting access to funds.

The report says suspension proceedings increased in 2025 and 2026, with at least 20 groups affected, though the exact number remains unclear. Some organizations also face dissolution cases. HRW and activists quoted in the article said the climate has made many Tunisians more cautious about speaking, organizing or writing publicly.