Tunisia's Ennahda Rejects the New Cabinet

Demonstrations in support of President Kais Saied (Reuters)
Demonstrations in support of President Kais Saied (Reuters)
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Tunisia's Ennahda Rejects the New Cabinet

Demonstrations in support of President Kais Saied (Reuters)
Demonstrations in support of President Kais Saied (Reuters)

The Islamist Ennahda Movement, Tunisia's largest party, rejected the new cabinet formed by Najla Bouden, citing "constitutional violations" during its formation.

The movement described the cabinet as "a de facto government, and the government of the unconstitutional order 117," in reference to the order issued by President Kais Saied, which suspended most articles of the constitution to monopolize the executive and legislative powers, according to his critics.

Ennahda said losing legitimacy will increase the government's challenges and obstacles in dealing with national affairs and international partners.

The movement and its allies in the suspended parliament accuse the President of plotting a coup against the constitution and monopolizing powers.

Saied said he resorted to Article 80 of the constitution to declare exceptional measures, protect the state from "imminent danger," and fulfill the people's will.

Meanwhile, Saied withdrew the diplomatic passport of former President Moncef Marzouki after he demanded that France ends its support for Tunisia under Saied's leadership.

Days ago, Marzouki participated in a demonstration in Paris against Saied, during which he had urged French decision-makers "not to endorse a totalitarian system."

In an interview with France 24, Marzouki also admitted that he sought to cancel the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) summit, which was scheduled in Tunisia next November before the organization decided to postpone it.

Saeid also ordered the termination of duties of Speaker Rachid Ghannouchi and other advisers.

The dismissal orders were published in the Official Gazette and included the chief of staff and four other advisors.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Seifeddine Makhlouf began a hunger strike in prison in protest against the decisions of the military judiciary.

Makhlouf, head of the Dignity Coalition, was arrested in two cases relating to the "airport events" and assaulting a military judge.

A military court rejected Makhlouf's defense's request to keep him on parole.

He said in a statement published by the Coalition that he remains on strike until this "military judicial farce is stopped," accusing the President of pressuring the judiciary.

Makhlouf is one of the fiercest critics of the President. He opposed the exceptional measures and the suspension of parliament, among other procedures.

He was involved in the incidents at Carthage International Airport between MPs of the Dignity Coalition and the security forces after they prevented a female passenger from going to Turkey for security reasons linked to terrorism.

Makhlouf was arrested on September 21 for insulting a military judge.



Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
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Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo

Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues.

She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course.

"Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said, Reuters reported.

Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts.

Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead.

"This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this."

Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide.

Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.

"The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.

The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza".

The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.