The Head of State, accusing the magistrates of corrupt and obstacle to justice, had revoked them by decree in early June.
Le Monde with AFP
Tunisian justice has suspended, Wednesday, August 10, the revocation of around fifty magistrates, decided in early June by President Kaïs Saïed and qualified as “attack on the rule of law” by several NGOs, Judicial sources at AFP.
The 1 er June, Mr. Saied, who arranged all the powers a year ago, had revoked 57 magistrates by presidential decree, accusing them of corruption and obstacle to several surveys. Fifty-three of them, some of whom were accused of “adultery”, had filed appeals before the administrative court.
The suspension of revocations for an unrecognized number of judges was announced to the press by the spokesperson of the administrative court, Imed Ghabri.
Lawyer Kamel Ben Messoud, of the defended magistrates’ defense committee, said that the suspension concerns “about fifty judges” which, according to him, can resume their function as soon as a copy of the verdict.
The other magistrates, which are the subject of criminal prosecution, did not benefit from the suspension decision, added M e ben Messoud to local media.
Autocratic drift
The administrative court told AFP that he would publish his decision during the day, without giving more details.
The revocation of these magistrates had been denounced by several NGOs, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International, as a “direct attack on the rule of law” and had trained more than a very followed month of strike magistrates.
Since July 25, 2021, ensuring acting in the interest of the country he deemed ungovernable, Mr. Saïed concentrates all powers, bringing together an autocratic drift in the cradle of “Arab Spring”.
He dissolved in February the Superior Council of the Magistracy (CSM), replaced by a provisional CSM which he himself appointed the members, before strengthening in early June by decree his supervision on the judicial system by making the possible the dismissal of magistrates.