17 June 2025. In the span of four years, Tunisia has gone from being a beacon of democracy to an experiment in authoritarianism. This is the alarming conclusion reached by the FIDH in its new report, which traces the country’s descent into darkness, starting on 25 July 2021. The report brings to the fore the institutionalized mechanisms of repression used by the regime to eliminate all forms of dissent and is based on documented facts, disregarded court rulings, and first-hand accounts.
"President Kais Saied makes it clear that he intends to build an authoritarian, methodical, and unrelenting regime by destroying the systems of checks and balances, eliminating any form of dissent, and instilling fear. These developments seriously jeopardize the democratic future of Tunisia, once a symbol of hope in the region", explained Aissa Rahmoune, FIDH Secretary General.
"The report provides incontrovertible evidence of the true dictatorial nature of Kais Saied’s regime. Our intent is to present it to the European Union authorities who use Tunisia as a model for their migration policies and in doing so sacrifice the fundamental values of democracy and the rule of law and support a regime that flouts both. European policies should instead focus on protecting human rights and demanding genuine respect for said values, instead of supporting and ignoring the systematic repression orchestrated by Tunisian authorities", deplored Yosra Frawes, Head of the MENA Desk, FIDH.
The judiciary at the service of repression and the arbitrary
A key stage in the dictatorial process is the gradual subordination of the judiciary. This involves the unilateral dissolution of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, the cornerstone of judicial independence, and replacing it with a body entirely controlled by the President. Outright interference, such as the arbitrary dismissal of judges, their public vilification, the refusal to reinstate them in defiance of an administrative court order, the blocking of appointments, and the blatant disregard for judicial decisions are signs of total subordination. When these conditions are combined with constitutional provisions that are tailor-made for the executive branch, the situation becomes reminiscent of the authoritarian practices of the pre-revolutionary regime and makes a mockery of international standards for judicial independence.
Kais Saied is also perverting the anti-terrorism law and using military justice as a weapon to silence journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, and political opponents. The "conspiracy case", which targeted more than 40 people, is emblematic of an unfair trial: prolonged detention, closed sessions, unnamed witnesses, and cynical prison sentences of up to 66 years. With the return of methods inherited from colonization and politically motivated justice, public figures such as former President Moncef Marzouki, former Interior Minister Ali Laarayedh, and MP Abir Moussi have been sentenced to long prison terms on ill-defined grounds.
The criminalization of LGBTQI+ people by the regime
Since coming to power, Kais Saied has stepped up measures to restrict fundamental freedoms by mobilizing outdated laws. As early as his 2019 campaign, he expressed conservative positions hostile to gender equality and LGBTQI+ rights, claiming that demands [for rights] were the result of foreign interference. The 2022 Constitution marks a major break with the past. It redefines the State’s mission as guarantor of the ultimate objectives of Islam, thereby calling into question the principle of secularism implicitly pursued by the Tunisian State.
The result of this new ideological orientation has been systematic repression in public and digital spaces, and in particular the targeting of influencers accused of violating public decency, a vague and subjective term that is used to justify mass prosecutions. The LGBTQI+ community remains particularly exposed because homosexuality has been criminalized (article 230 of the penal code) and because of the verifiable use of judicial harassment. The civil society organization Damj pour la justice et l’égalité [Djam for Justice and Equality] recorded the prosecution of more than 80 cases against LGBTQI+ people, from September 2024 to January 2025.
Methods borrowed from Russia and Egypt
The centrepiece of the repression is Decree-Law 54, signed in 2022 under the guise of combating disinformation. The executive decree provides for five-year sentences to be handed down against anyone accused of disseminating "false information", a term that has no legal definition.
The law effectively targets journalists, political opponents, lawyers, and activists critical of the government. Among the emblematic cases prosecuted on the basis of Decree-Law 54 law are those of Zied El Heni, Haythem El Mekki, Mohamed Boughalleb, Sonia Dahmani, and Mourad Zeghidi, all victims of abusive judicialization of their freedom of expression. In 2024, more than 40 journalists and content creators were prosecuted. The system is reminiscent of the Russian regime’s "anti-fake news" laws, which aim to criminalize any challenge to official discourse.
Kais Saied has adopted the practice used in Egypt of "rotation", whereby detainees after serving their sentences are kept in detention and ’rotated’ to new cases. The practice has been denounced by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The practice is used to keep defendants in detention indefinitely, thereby violating their right to a fair trial. On 5 June 2025, journalist Mourad Zeghidi, who had been serving a sentence for a false information case for over a year on the basis of decree law 54 of 2022, had his detention extended by four months.
The repression is based on the demonisation of opponents comparable to that used by the most ferocious dictatorships. The Russian regime regularly describes its enemies as "terrorists", "foreign agents" or "traitors". To foment hatred and justify brutal repression, Kais Saied describes his opponents as "germs", "snakes" or "cancers". In 2022, 145 out of 167 presidential speeches were marked by dehumanising language that amounted to implicit public attacks that leaves the public guessing who the targets are, depending on the context.
Dehumanization is used to justify repression and undermine the mechanisms of solidarity. It isolates and separates citizens from the victims, particularly those who work to support the most vulnerable groups, such as migrants. Human rights defenders assisting vulnerable groups such as Saadia Mosbah, Sherifa Riahi, Saloua Ghrissa, and many more are accused of "terrorism", "money laundering" or "conspiracy", and are then arbitrarily arrested and thrown into prison. The tactic erodes public solidarity, breaks the bonds of support, and makes silence a condition for survival in a civil society permeated by suspicion.
Freedom of the press trampled
Since 2021, the public media have been transformed into vectors for propaganda. Several independent media outlets have been closed down and journalists have been arrested and intimidated. The appointment to key agencies of officials close to the government is stifling media diversity and reducing the space for democratic expression. Public and digital spaces are also under pressure. Dozens of content creators have been prosecuted for videos deemed "indecent", a vague and retrograde concept. Repression is underpinned by a reinforced police state; security forces brutally crack down on demonstrations, human rights defenders, social movements, and vulnerable groups, in a widespread climate of fear.
These methods and policies run counter to human rights and must prompt governments, particularly those of the European Union, to review their relations and cooperation agreements with Tunisia, or risk being seen as complicit in these violations.