Tunisian President Kais Saied officially dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council on Feb. 6, sending police to seal the chamber where the body meets. The Council's head, Youssef Bouzakher, called the dissolution "illegal," and said it is aimed at bringing Tunisia's jurists under control of the executive. Established in 2016, the Council is a constitutional body entrusted with ensuring the independence of the judiciary, responsible for appointing judges and taking disciplinary action. Bouzakher said the Council intends to continue working in defiance of the president's announcement.
Saied's move comes amid growing unrest, with protesters taking to the streets in defiance of a ban on all demonstrations as an ostensible COVID-19 containment measure. January saw mass protests in Tunis commemorating the 2011 pro-democracy uprising [9]. At least one was killed in last month's protests, according to campaign group Citizens Against the Coup. Protests again erupted on the same day Saied dissolved the Judicial Council, marking the 2013 assassination of progressive opposition leader Chokri Belaid [10].
On July 25, 2021, Saied seized near-total powers [11], dismissing his cabinet, dissolving the parliament, revoking the immunity granted to legislators, and assuming the role of the public prosecutor. Critics have termed the power-grab a "self-coup [12]" that violates the Tunisian constitution. (Jurist [13], Al Jazeera [14], Al Jazeera [15], Al Jazeera [16], DW [17], MENAFN [18], Tunis Afrique Presse [19], Reuters [20], Amnesty International [21])
See our last report on the political crisis in Tunisia [22].