Association

Civil society organizations in Tunisia continue to face increasing restrictions and pressure, including investigations, administrative measures, and limitations targeting their activities and staff members. On 19 April 2026, Tunisian authorities prevented the treasurer of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) from travelling abroad to attend an event on migration issues. The measure followed repeated summons by the National Unit for the Investigation of Complex Financial Crimes regarding the organization’s activities and funding. Additional FTDES staff members were also reportedly summoned for questioning. Despite cooperating with the investigation, the treasurer remains subject to a travel ban without a formal judicial order.

These measures were followed by further restrictions targeting prominent civil society organizations. On 25 April 2026, Tunisian authorities suspended the activities of the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) for a period of one month. An official notice was delivered to the organisation, although the specific legal or administrative grounds for the decision have not been publicly disclosed in detail. The LTDH, one of Tunisia’s oldest and most influential human rights organisations, stated that it considers the decision part of a broader pattern of increasing pressure on civil society and independent voices. The suspension comes amid growing concerns over shrinking civic space and tighter controls on associations and NGOs in the country. This development follows a series of similar measures in recent years. In 2025, several civil society organisations were also subjected to suspension decisions, including the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) and the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), steps that had already raised significant concern among human rights defenders and observers.

This restrictive trend continued in May 2026. On 5 May 2026, Lawyers Without Borders Tunisia (ASF Tunisia) announced that the Tunisian authorities had ordered the suspension of the organization’s activities. ASF stated that the decision was taken without prior notice or clear legal justification and warned that it could negatively affect its ongoing work supporting access to justice, human rights, and vulnerable groups in Tunisia.

The growing number of restrictive measures against civil society organizations also prompted concern at the international level. On 7 May 2026, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern over the increasing use of judicial and administrative measures targeting civil society organizations in Tunisia. He referred specifically to the recent suspension decisions affecting organizations such as the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) and Lawyers Without Borders Tunisia (ASF Tunisia), describing them as part of a broader pattern of restrictions on civic space and freedom of association. Türk also warned that the repeated suspension of independent organizations undermines rights guaranteed under the Tunisian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations.

Expression

Press freedom in Tunisia remains significantly restricted, with increasing use of legal measures to target journalists and limit freedom of expression. On 31 March 2026, Tunisian journalist Ghassen Ben Khelifa was sentenced to two years in prison on charges related to publishing allegedly false information online. He denied the accusations, while journalists’ organizations condemned the ruling as part of a broader pattern of repression against independent media voices.

Likewise, on 13 April 2026, the Tunis Court of Appeal sentenced lawyer and political commentator Sonia Dahmani to 18 months in prison in connection with public statements attributed to her. The ruling reduced a previous two-year prison sentence issued in the first instance but maintained her conviction under Decree-Law 54 related to information and communication offences. The case reportedly stems from media comments addressing racism and discrimination against sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia.

This trend has continued in recent weeks. On 24 April 2026, journalist Zied El Heni was placed in detention by the Court of First Instance in Tunis following his questioning by the public prosecutor on charges related to alleged offences linked to statements published on social media. He was arrested for criticizing the prosecution of journalist Khalifa Guesmi on his Facebook page and sentenced to one year in prison on May 7.

Artists and cultural figures in Tunisia have also increasingly faced judicial proceedings and restrictions linked to their artistic and public expression. On 16 April 2026, the Second Criminal Chamber of the Sfax 1 Court of First Instance sentenced Tunisian comedian and actor Lotfi Abdelli, in absentia, to 18 months in prison in connection with a performance presented during the 2022 Sfax International Festival. The case followed complaints related to remarks made during the show, with charges including insulting a public official, attributing unproven allegations to a public agent, and offending public morals.

Peaceful Assembly

Growing concerns over increasing racism and discrimination have fueled public mobilization in Tunisia. On 11 April 2026 in Tunis, a public demonstration took place on Habib Bourguiba Avenue bringing together activists and civil society groups to protest against racism and discrimination in Tunisia. The march highlighted concerns over the stigmatization of Black Tunisians and sub-Saharan migrants, as well as broader restrictions on civic space and the criminalisation of anti-racist activism. Participants also called for the release of detained activists linked to civil society and migrant rights movements, and denounced what they described as growing judicial and political pressure on organisations working on issues of equality and solidarity.

On another front, public mobilization also continued around concerns relating to freedom of the press. In fact, on 25 April 2026, several dozen people gathered in Tunis outside the headquarters of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists to show solidarity with journalists and call for the release of those detained. The protest brought together journalists, activists, and civil society representatives who held banners and chanted slogans in defence of an independent press and against the imprisonment of media professionals. Participants denounced what they described as a continuing deterioration of press freedom in the country, while representatives of the journalists’ union warned of the growing use of legal measures to prosecute journalists and restrict critical reporting.

Amid these growing concerns over press freedom and the broader restriction of civic space, public demonstrations against the authorities also continued in mid-May 2026. Hundreds of Tunisians gathered in central Tunis on 16 May 2026 to protest against President Kais Saied, denouncing arrests targeting opposition figures, journalists, and civil society actors, as well as the worsening economic situation. Demonstrators criticized what they described as increasing restrictions on freedoms and the concentration of power in the presidency, while also expressing concern over rising prices, shortages of basic goods and medicines, and deteriorating public services.