Tunisia orders one-month halt for migrant-rights group - a worrying move
As-salāmu ʿalaykum - Tunisia has instructed the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), a well-known group that defends migrants and civil rights, to pause its activities for one month, the organisation said on Monday. Officials say the suspension is to allow a financial audit focused on foreign funding the group receives, but FTDES spokesperson Ramadhan Ben Omar told reporters he believes the real purpose is to silence independent civil society voices.
The government has not given an immediate public reply. Last week the Democratic Women group, which works on women’s rights, freedoms and democratic issues, faced a similar suspension. Sources say several other organisations have also been targeted over foreign funding, though those suspensions have not all been announced publicly.
FTDES was among the first to speak out against President Kais Saied’s 2023 claim that an influx of African migrants was part of a “criminal plot” to change the country’s Arab and Muslim identity - a stance FTDES called racist. At least a dozen prominent civil society activists are reported to be detained on charges related to their activism. Many groups complain of increasing pressure since Saied concentrated power in 2021 and began ruling by decree, including frozen bank accounts and restrictions tied to alleged foreign funding.
May Allah guide justice and protect those who work for the vulnerable.
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