On Friday, Tunisian President Kais Saïd strongly condemned the resolution of the European Parliament, which calls for the release of critics of his government and the repeal of controversial laws. Saíd called the document an “obvious and gross interference” in the country’s internal affairs.
Tunisian President Kais Saïd on Friday called the European Parliament’s (EP) resolution on human rights, which calls for the release of critics of his government, an “obvious interference” in the country’s affairs. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- The Tunisian president criticized the EP resolution on human rights.
- The EP resolution calls for the release of critics of the Tunisian government.
- Kajs Saíd condemned it as interfering in the internal affairs of the country.
- Lawyer Sánija Dahmaniová was released, but remains under judicial supervision.
Saíd: They can learn from us about rights and freedoms
Thursday’s resolution of the European Parliament was approved by the overwhelming majority of MEPs and called for the release of lawyer Sanija Dahmaniová. The authorities released the critic of the president from prison, but she will remain under judicial supervision.
“The European Parliament’s resolution is a gross interference in our affairs,” Saíd said in a statement. “They can learn from us about rights and freedoms,” he emphasized. Two days ago, he summoned the ambassador of the European Union to interpret for him a protest against “non-observance of diplomatic rules”.
“Anyone who dishonors our country or ignores the rules of international behavior must understand that we will not accept this and will be fully responsible for their actions,” he added.
Dahmani condemned racism in Tunisia in the media
Dahmani was detained in May 2024 by masked men and faced charges for her comments on radio and television, where she condemned racism in Tunisia, writes AFP. In recent months, she has been found guilty in at least three cases also based on a law that Saïd passed in 2022 to ban the “spread of fake news”. In the resolution, the EP called for the abolition of this law “which leads to prosecution for expressing an opinion, as well as all legislation abused to limit freedoms”.
The EP also demanded the release of “all persons detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression, including political prisoners and human rights defenders” in Tunisia.
Saíd became the head of the country in 2019. In 2021, he pushed through extensive changes in the country and strengthened his presidential powers, since then human rights organizations have been warning about restrictions on political freedoms.
