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December 14th, 2021 
Awake Goy 
The non-governmental Administrative Magistrates Association in Tunisia has issued a warning about the cutback in judicial reform and denounced what it called systematic defamation campaigns against judges because of their opinions, Anadolu has reported. The association rejected any violation of the country’s High Judicial Council, an independent constitutional body.
In the past few days, several judicial bodies have announced similar rejections of the attitudes and statements made by President Kais Saied regarding the judiciary. The magistrates called on Saied “not to violate the constitutional gains included under the chapter of the judicial authority.”
Furthermore, the association condemned “the absence of a clear and comprehensive plan by the political authority to reform the judiciary, and the reduction of the concept of reform to [“purification”]… where investing in the judiciary is the only way to build a true democracy.” It called for “urgent and necessary” reform of the judicial system which corresponds to constitutional controls away from political quarrels, and expressed its “willingness to engage in all forms of struggle to stand against all interference in the work of the judiciary.”
Yesterday, the head of the High Judicial Council, Youssef Bouzacher, also rejected the violation of the constitutional structure of the judiciary, as it is the guarantor of its independence.
“There are multiple requests to dissolve the High Judicial Council supported by political and academic bodies,” Bouzacher told participants in a seminar. However, he did not name the bodies mentioned. He did, though, acknowledge the existence of “disadvantages” in the council’s functioning and expressed his readiness for reform. “This should be participatory and not carried out during this exceptional period that the country is witnessing.”
Tunisia has been going through a political crisis since 25 July, when Saied imposed some exceptional measures, including his assumption of executive authority and issuing legislation by presidential decree. Most political groups in the country reject the measures, and regard them as a “coup against the constitution”. Those who do support them see them as a “correction of the course of the 2011 revolution” which overthrew President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Saied began a five-year presidential term in 2019. “Measures have been taken within the framework of the constitution to protect the state from imminent danger,” he insists. “Rights will not be prejudiced.”
READ: Ghannouchi aide: Parliament to resume its activities soon
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