Tunisian judges threaten to strike for a second week over sackings

SMA NEWS – TUNIS
Tunisia’s judges have announced they intend to extend their strike into a second week if President Kais Saied does not cancel a decree firing dozens of them.

Mr Saied removed the 57 from their roles last week, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists. The country judges’ association said the charges were largely politically motivated.

Four judges’ unions pushed back against the decree, calling for a nationwide strike against the president’s “continued interference in the judiciary”. The strike began on Monday, and has been widely observed.

Judge’s wages cut for strike days
Tunisian Judges strike
Mr Saied this week ordered judges’ salaries be cut to compensate for strike days.

Anas Hmadi, the president of the Association of Tunisian Judges, said on Thursday that “the judges are ready to resume work from tomorrow, provided this injustice is lifted and accountability is established”.

The new decree extends Mr Saied’s control of the judiciary, which he has consolidated in recent months.

Earlier this year, Mr Saied replaced the Supreme Judicial Council, which had served as the main guarantor of judicial independence since Tunisia’s 2011 revolution that ushered in democratic reforms.

He says his moves are needed to save Tunisia from crisis, and that he is aiming to cleanse the judiciary of rampant corruption but does not aim to control it.

Mr Hmadi disagreed, saying the firings were “a tool that undermines the independence of the judiciary and does nothing but increase corruption in the sector”.