TUNIS, Tunisia , Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive 49-page report on September 2, 2026, documenting what it describes as a systematic state-led crackdown on civil society organizations in Tunisia since 2024.
Titled 'We Are Living on Borrowed Time,' the report asserts that Tunisian authorities have dismantled the vibrant civic space established following the 2011 revolution. According to documentation compiled in the report, Tunisian courts have prosecuted at least 47 individuals connected to non-governmental organizations and maintained at least 10 individuals in preventive detention for periods exceeding 14 months, surpassing statutory limits defined under Tunisian law. Following trials conducted across 2025 and 2026, at least 14 civil society members have received criminal convictions and custodial prison sentences.
Prosecutions and Legal Suspensions
Prominent human rights defender Saadia Mosbah was convicted on financial crime charges and sentenced on March 19, 2026, to eight years in prison alongside a substantial financial penalty. In parallel proceedings, five staff members representing organizations that assist asylum seekers were convicted on charges stemming directly from their humanitarian work, forcing their respective organizations to shut down operations entirely.
Tunisian authorities have utilized Decree-Law 2011-88 governing associations to execute mass suspensions targeting at least 20 civil society associations between July and October 2025, and again between April and May 2026. The report notes that these suspensions were characterized by procedural irregularities, including the failure of authorities to issue mandatory formal warnings prior to enforcement actions. Prominent independent media and advocacy entities, including Al Khatt, publisher of the investigative outlet Inkyfada, and the anti-racism organization Mnemty, are currently facing judicial dissolution proceedings.
Official Justifications and Executive Control
President Kais Saied has publicly criticized civil society groups and non-governmental organizations since 2022, characterizing them as threats to national sovereignty and alleging that they act as conduits for foreign interests and external funding. Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, stated in the report that civil society groups in Tunisia play a key role in holding power to account, delivering essential services, and advocating for human rights, adding that authorities are abusing every legal tool to shut these organizations down.
The executive branch has consolidated control over the judiciary since President Saied instituted sweeping governance measures in 2021 and 2022, which included dissolving parliament, ruling by decree, rewriting the constitution, and dismissing judges who opposed executive directives. In a previous assessment published in May 2026, Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, noted that non-governmental organizations operating in Tunisia face an increasingly hostile environment where legal and judicial mechanisms are weaponized to suppress independent voices.
Downstream Stakes for Civic Activism
For Tunisian civil society organizations and human rights defenders, the documented measures create an immediate environment of legal vulnerability, raising the risk of arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention, and institutional dissolution. For the broader trajectory of democratic governance in Tunisia, the enforcement actions represent a departure from post-2011 democratic gains. For international relations, the findings have intensified scrutiny from global donors and diplomatic partners regarding the rule of law and judicial independence in North Africa.
