UN rights chief concerned about Tunisia turmoil, offers help

News24
03 Aug 2021, 21:41 GMT+10

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet voiced her concerns about the political turmoil in Tunisia in a phone call with the foreign minister, and offered her assistance if required, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi called the high commissioner for human rights after President Kais Saied seized power on 25 July following violent demonstrations against the government.

"It's a worrying situation. We are following really closely and we know the challenges the country is facing," Marta Hurtado, a spokeswoman for Bachelet's office, told reporters in Geneva.

"What we hope is that all the achievements towards democratic reform that they have been doing over the last 10 years can be maintained and preserved, and that there's no regression in any way."

Tunisia has often been praised as a rare success story for its democratic transition after the Arab Spring regional uprisings sparked by its 2011 revolution.

READ HERE | US urges Tunisia to return to 'democratic path'

But many Tunisians are angered at a political class seen as obsessed with power struggles and disconnected from the suffering of the poor, amid high unemployment and spiralling prices.

In a surprise move, Saied sacked prime minister Hichem Mechichi late last month and suspended parliament for 30 days. He ordered a graft crackdown targeting 460 businessmen and an investigation into alleged illegal funding of political parties.

The move plunged Tunisia into political turmoil, adding to the crippling economic crisis as well as a wave of Covid-19 infections.

Source: News24

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