One Justice calls for reducing the role of military courts in Tunisia

The One Justice Organisation - France urged the Tunisian president to take appropriate measures to reduce the wide role of military courts in trying civilians in Tunisia.

In his address on Monday, June 20, 2022, the President of the Foundation, Khaled Al-Shouli, pointed out to the President of the Tunisian Republic, Kais Saied, that “one of the foundations for the stability and strengthening of Tunisian democracy is ensuring the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, which initially requires that military courts not be competent to try Civilians,” expressing deep concern about the high rate of referral of civilians to military justice in Tunisia, especially after the military court ruling on Friday, June 17, 2022, imprisoning the head of the "Dignity Coalition" bloc in the dissolved parliament, Seif El-Din Makhlouf, for one year and preventing him from practicing the legal profession for 5 years, on charges of "undermining the morale of the army".

One Justice aslo recalled the international obligations of the Republic of Tunisia in the field of respect for human rights and fair trial guarantees, expressing many concerns about a decline in the commitment to apply the rules of international human rights law to those referred to the military courts in Tunisia. The Foundation also called on President Kais Saied to ensure that any civilian is tried in specialized civil courts, and that he/shw enjoys all the fair trial guarantees established by the rules and provisions of international human rights law.