The social and political climate is deteriorating in Tunisia. Last Wednesday, around a hundred demonstrators gathered in front of the Tunis courthouse to support the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) . This emblematic organization, a pillar of civil society, is challenging in court its one-month suspension imposed by the authorities at the end of April.

A historic stronghold under pressure

For the first time in its fifty-year history, the LTDH—a member of the quartet that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 —has seen its activities suspended. While the government cites an administrative delay in holding its general assembly, activists see it as a political maneuver.

"The League has always defended all currents without exclusion. That is its strength," recalls Mongi Souab, a former member.

The support is massive: in addition to activists, 180 lawyers have mobilized. However, the court has postponed the review of the appeal, prolonging the uncertainty.

A global offensive against civil society

The LTDH case is just the tip of the iceberg. The Tunisian associative landscape is under unprecedented pressure under the presidency of Kaïs Saïed:

1. A series of suspensions: Since the end of 2025, nearly 30 associations have been suspended and 600 others are the subject of administrative or tax investigations.
2. International NGOs targeted: The organization Lawyers Without Borders (ASF) also received a suspension notification this week, denouncing an "unjustified attack on freedom of action".
3. Access restrictions: The LTDH is now being denied access to detention facilities, a right it had been exercising since 2015.

International and local concern

This authoritarian drift is provoking a storm of protest:

1. Local reactions: The UGTT (trade union federation), the Bar Association and the Magistrates' Association denounce a frontal attack on freedoms.
2. Diplomacy: The European Union expressed its "deep concern," highlighting the ongoing democratic backsliding.
3. Media: The repression extends to journalists, like Zied el-Heni , imprisoned since April, who is awaiting his verdict on May 7.

Despite the court postponement, the determination of human rights defenders remains intact. "We have learned not to be afraid," insists Tahar Chekrouche, a member of the League, in the face of a mobilization he considers a source of hope for the continuation of the fight.