On August 26, 2023, the General Secretary of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, Ahlam Bousserwel, was detained after being accused of insulting a public servant. This is a new trend that the Tunisian regime has used to detain feminists, human rights defenders, women human rights defenders, and activists since 2021. While Ms. Brousserwell was released after 12 hours, Nazra for Feminist Studies states that her arrest falls under the framework of threatening and intimidating citizens and others to silence them. As the Tunisian authorities continue to use their power to repress independent voices and prevent them from exercising their rights to freedom of expression, Tunisian civil society calls on the International Community to stand in solidarity with women and feminists in Tunisia and urge the government to fulfill their obligations under international human rights laws, especially concerning the right to freedom of expression and assembly.

Access Nazra’s Urgent Appeal here.