Tunisia Judges Extend Strike over Sackings for 4th Week

Tunisian President Kais Saied. Reuters
Tunisian President Kais Saied. Reuters
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Tunisia Judges Extend Strike over Sackings for 4th Week

Tunisian President Kais Saied. Reuters
Tunisian President Kais Saied. Reuters

Tunisian judges decided to extend their national strike for a fourth week in protest against a decision by President Kais Saied to sack dozens of them, a joint statement by the judges unions in the country said on Saturday.

It said the fourth week of the strike will start on June 27.

Saied dismissed 57 judges on June 1, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists - charges that the Tunisian Judges' Association said were mostly politically motivated.

The judges have strongly condemned the president’s continued interference in the judiciary.

They accuse Saied of giving himself powers to lay off judges “without the slightest recourse to disciplinary procedures.”



Trump Says He Will Send His Middle East Envoy to Qatar

Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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Trump Says He Will Send His Middle East Envoy to Qatar

Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

President-elect Donald Trump is dispatching his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to Qatar this week for talks aimed at a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of some 100 Israeli hostages.
Trump speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday reiterated his threat that there will be “hell to pay” in the Middle East if the hostages are not released prior to his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Witkoff, who also spoke briefly at the press conference, said he expected to depart for Qatar later Tuesday or Wednesday but did not detail who he’d be meeting with during his latest visit to the region.
Witkoff added that progress is being made on landing a deal, something he said is happening because of the pressure Trump is creating.
“The red lines he’s put out there — that’s driving this negotiation,” Witkoff said.