Geneva: The United Nations condemned the arrest of lawyers in Tunisia on Friday, saying the arrests, which included journalists and political commentators, undermined the rule of law in the North African country.
In addition, the rule of law must be upheld and those detained without reason released, including protecting the rights of migrants and combating racial discrimination.
The arrest sparked international outrage over what Tunisian President Kais Said called foreign “interference”. Tunisian civil society condemned the arrests as a crackdown on dissent in a country that has seen the start of the Arab Spring.
The European Union expressed concern over this week’s arrests, while the United States said it violated universal rights guaranteed by the country’s constitution.
Seyed, who will take office in 2021, ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday to call the ambassadors of several countries and announced that “Tunisia is an independent country” in a video released by his office.
