Tunisia escalates crackdown on NGOs amid power and water shortages

Tunisia steps up civil society crackdown as anger mounts over power and water shortages Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 09/02/2026 - 10:41 At least 47 people connected with NGOs have been prosecuted since 2024, according to Human Rights Watch Tunisians protest against President Kais Saied, demanding the return of democracy and the release of jailed activists and journalists amid a worsening economic and social crisis, in Tunis, 20 August 2026 (Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters) Off The Tunisian government is escalating its wide-reaching crackdown on civil society, as public frustration mounts over ongoing power and water shortages amid soaring temperatures. Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned in a report on Wednesday that the authorities' intensifying repression of NGOs is part of a push to completely shutter civil society. The 49-page report detailed a raft of measures wielded by President Kais Saied's government - including prosecution, arbitrary detention, financial investigations and mass suspensions - to target local and civil society groups, their members, workers and associates. According to the report, the crackdown began with the arrests of 14 workers from asylum support groups and anti-racist organisations between May and December 2024. The watchdog reported that since then, at least 47 people connected with NGOs have been prosecuted following trials in 2025 and 2026, with at least 10 people held in preventive detention for periods exceeding the 14-month maximum under Tunisian law. Among those prosecuted is prominent human rights defender Saadia Mosbah, who was handed an eight-year prison sentence and a hefty fine "based on abusive charges of financial crimes" in March 2026, HRW said. Suspensions, arrests, dissolutions: Tunisia intensifies its crackdown on NGOs Read More » Additionally, the NGO said that five employees of asylum groups have also been convicted on abusive charges in connection with their work. The targeted organisations have since been forced to halt their work, according to HRW. Counterterrorism and money laundering laws have also been wielded to criminalise assistance to foreigners with irregular immigration status. Growing disquiet However, the repression has not stifled mounting unrest, as soaring temperatures, power outages and water shortages have driven hundreds of people to the streets to call for the ousting of Saied. Temperatures in Tunisia have repeatedly neared 50 degrees this summer, sharpening demand for electricity to power air conditioning, as well as water. In response, the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas implemented rotating power cuts across several regions. The outages have in turn impacted Tunisia’s water distribution system, which relies on electrically powered pumping stations, putting pressure on an already fragile water system plagued by drought. Meanwhile, the power cuts and shortages of raw plastic have also impacted the production of bottled water, and exerted more pressure on emergency departments already scrambling to care for patients in the extreme heat. The night Tunisia changed Read More » On  29 August, the Tunisian Organisation of Young Doctors reported an “unprecedented” surge in heat-related deaths, calling on the government to declare a health emergency. Responding to mounting public anger, Saied has pinned the water and electricity failures on deliberate acts of sabotage, without providing any evidence for the claims. Known for his conspiratorial statements, the president claimed that the power outages were "premeditated acts aimed at inflaming the situation by any means necessary, spreading lies and rumours to sow confusion" and "mistreating citizens even in the most basic services". Since Saied’s July 2021 power grab, civil liberties in Tunisia have reached what several local and international NGOs describe as an “alarming” state, denouncing an “authoritarian drift” and a sharp erosion of rights. Dozens of journalists, politicians and human rights defenders have been arrested, with some handed heavy sentences. Inside Tunisia News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Click to expand Image Tunisians hold up placards during a march organized by the Campaign Against the Criminalization of Civil Work to protest racism in Tunis, April 11, 2026. The demonstration, which includes human rights organizations, civil society groups, and activists, addresses concerns about what participants describe as a rise in racist rhetoric, as well as efforts to criminalize solidarity and civil, political, and trade union activities. The event also highlights concerns about the targeting of activists and advocates. © 2026 Chedly Ben Ibrahim/NurPhoto via AP The Tunisian government has systematically cracked down on civil society groups and their members since 2024, all but shutting down the vibrant civic space that emerged after the 2011 revolution.Civil society plays a key role in holding power to account, delivering essential services, and advocating for human rights. The authorities are abusing every tool at their disposal to close the space for civil society and shut these organizations down.The authorities should immediately end their crackdown on civil society and allow space for civic groups to operate fully and freely.(Beirut) – The Tunisian government has systematically cracked down on civil society groups and their members since 2024, all but shutting down the vibrant civic space that emerged after the 2011 revolution, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The authorities should immediately end their crackdown on civil society and allow space for civic groups to operate fully and freely.The 49-page report, “‘We Are Living on Borrowed Time’: Repression of Civil Society in Tunisia” documents the Tunisian authorities’ escalating repression of local and international civil society groups, workers, members, and affiliates through the weaponization of abusive prosecutions, arbitrary arrests, detention, financial and criminal investigations, mass suspensions, and threats of dissolution. “Civil society groups in Tunisia play a key role in holding power to account, delivering essential services, and advocating for people’s human rights,” said Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “It is clear that the authorities are abusing every tool at their disposal to close the space for civil society in Tunisia and shut these organizations down.” September 2, 2026 “We Are Living on Borrowed Time” Repression of Civil Society in Tunisia Download the full report in English Annex I: Human Rights Watch Letter to the Tunisian General Directorate of Associations Annex II: Human Rights Watch Letter to the Tunisian Parliament Annex III: Human Rights Watch Letter to the Tunisian Ministry of Justice Annex IV: Human Rights Watch Letter to the Tunisian Ministry of Finance Since 2022, President Kais Saied has publicly demonized civil society and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), portraying them as a threat to national sovereignty. Between May and December 2024, the authorities arrested several workers at groups that provide aid to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants and those that fight racism and discrimination. They have since prosecuted at least 47 people connected to nongovernmental groups and held at least 10 people in preventive detention for longer than 14 months, the maximum period permitted under Tunisian law.The authorities have used laws criminalizing assistance to foreigners with irregular immigration status and the 2015 counterterrorism and money laundering law to bring abusive charges against human rights defenders and workers at nongovernmental groups.Following trials in 2025 and 2026, at least 14 people connected to civil society have been convicted and sentenced to prison. A prominent human rights defender, Saadia Mosbah, was sentenced to eight years in prison and a heavy fine based on abusive charges of financial crimes on March 19, 2026. Five employees of asylum groups have been convicted on abusive charges in connection with their work and the mandates of their legally registered associations.The targeted associations have since ceased their activities. The authorities have also targeted associations en masse with financial and criminal investigations. At the end of 2024, shortly before the presidential election, the Tax Evasion Investigation and Prevention Brigade notified at least a dozen associations—including Amnesty International’s regional office and the local anti-corruption group I Watch—that it was investigating them. The investigations are an administrative and operational burden and have resulted in the freezing of at least two associations’ bank accounts. The widespread and systematic use of such investigations against a broad swath of civil society raises serious concerns that the government is weaponizing such processes to target and intimidate civil society organizations. Between July-October 2025 and between April-May 2026, the authorities have abused Decree-Law 2011-88 on associations to mass suspend associations. Human Rights Watch identified at least 20 suspended civil society associations, though it is impossible to determine the exact number without official data. These suspensions appear to have circumvented due process and been marred by irregularities. Some associations did not receive the formal warnings required by law, which would enable them to respond to or remedy allegations of violations. Others attempted to respond but received no reply. Suspending an association is a drastic measure that should only be taken as a last resort with clear justification and independent review, Human Rights Watch said.These groups face serious risk of dissolution once all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. Lawyers who provided support to suspended groups told Human Rights Watch that officials have dismissed the appeals from approximately 30 associations that had filed appeals. Al Khatt (publisher of the independent media outlet Inkyfada) and Mnemty, are currently facing dissolution proceedings.The judiciary, which orders the suspensions, has been under the control of the executive since 2022, when President Saied took expansive measures to crush judicial independence.Associations have also faced additional restrictions alongside this crackdown. Private banks have imposed unwarranted restrictions on many associations, such as revoking their access to hard currency or convertible dinar accounts, blocking or returning foreign funds sent to Tunisian accounts, or closing their bank accounts. Some groups have reported that authorities have denied their election observation accreditation, imposed more stringent regulations on their access to prisons and detention facilities, or banned certain public events.The Tunisian authorities have repeatedly sought to replace and tighten the current legislative framework governing associations in ways that would seriously undermine their right to freedom of association. Two bills, one leaked in early 2022 and another submitted to parliament in October 2023, would give the government significant control and oversight over the establishment, activities, operations, and funding of independent groups.The Tunisian authorities should stop restricting freedom of association and end abusive investigations, judicial harassment, and criminalization of civil society groups’ work and their members, Human Rights Watch said. They should release all NGO workers, activists, and human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in connection with their legitimate work and overturn unjust convictions. Parliament should ensure that associations can operate freely, including by withdrawing draft laws that would violate the right to freedom of association. The international community, including the European Union and its member states, should privately and publicly urge Tunisian authorities to release all nongovernmental organization workers, human rights defenders, activists, and others arbitrarily detained, overturn convictions in connection with groups’ legitimate work, and end the crackdown on civil society.Tunisia is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantee the rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression, to not be subject to arbitrary arrest or detention, and to a fair trial. “By dismantling the space for civil society, the authorities are trying to ensure no one is left to hold them accountable,” Khawaja said. “The international community needs to take urgent action to help preserve what remains of civic space in Tunisia, ensure protections for rights defenders, and end this drastic backsliding on human rights.”