Tunisian judges to strike Monday to protest dismissals

TUNIS, Tunisia

Tunisian judges will stage a week-long strike on Monday to protest the dismissal of dozens of their colleagues by President Kais Saied.

In a statement, the Association of Judges said work will be suspended in courts and all judicial facilities along with staging a sit-in as of Monday.

The statement, however, said courts dealing with terrorism cases will be excluded from the strike.

The move comes amid tension after the Tunisian president sacked 57 judges last week, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists.

Among those sacked was Youssef Bouzaker, the former head of the Supreme Judicial Council whose members the Tunisian president replaced this year.

For his part, Bouzaker said he will file a lawsuit to challenge Saied’s decision to sack dozens of judges.

“The Judiciary will remain independent,” Bouzaker said in a speech during a meeting of the Association of Judges held in the capital Tunis on Saturday.

“Saied dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council because he could not control it. Now, he is moving to sack judges but we will not remain silent,” he added.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis since July 25, 2021, when Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority, in a move decried by opponents as a “coup.” He later dissolved the parliament in March after lawmakers held a session to revoke his measures.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar