Zohour Mashreqi

Tunisia – Participants expressed their full and unconditional solidarity with political prisoner Saadia Mesbah and all female prisoners of conscience held behind bars due to their political stances, renewing their calls for her release and the consideration of her health and humanitarian situation.

As part of International Women’s Day activities, the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women organized a solidarity evening on Tuesday, March 10, to support the human rights activist and president of the association “Manamti,” Saadia Mesbah, known for her struggle against racism and her defense of the rights of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries in Tunisia. Her association was later dissolved, while Saadia Mesbah remains detained since May 6, 2024, due to her civil activism.

Participants stressed the importance of strengthening feminist solidarity with female prisoners of conscience and human rights activists who have faced imprisonment for years, considering that the association “Manamti,” which fights racism, has the right to operate publicly and carry out its human rights work without exclusion.

They also highlighted the importance of solidarity in rejecting the racism and violations Saadia Mesbah faces in prison, noting that her situation requires support and advocacy for her release.

Mounia El-Abed, lawyer for Saadia Mesbah, said that the defense team continues its legal efforts to secure her release despite the “injustice” she faces, pointing out that the case file lacks any concrete evidence supporting the serious charges against her.

She emphasized the need to prioritize her client’s health and advanced age as humanitarian and legal concerns, expressing hope for her freedom and the continuation of the “legal resistance” by the defense team to refute the charges and prove her innocence.

Mounia El-Abed described Saadia Mesbah’s situation as “extremely difficult,” particularly after exceeding the legal detention period, noting her client’s astonishment at the nature of the charges. “The association ‘Manamti,’ founded in 2013, carried out legal and public activities aimed at human rights awareness and combating racism.”

She argued that any administrative irregularities fall within the normal scope of association work and do not justify referral under anti-terrorism or anti-money-laundering laws, adding that framing the case as “international financial and economic crimes” is “far from reality” and represents an overextension of legislation inspired by international organizations to limit money laundering.

Mounia El-Abed questioned the financial basis of the charges against “Manamti,” describing them as “serious and unreflective of reality,” and added that the defense team appeared before the court on March 10 to appeal the indictment that referred her client to trial on these charges, awaiting the judgment with hope for her release and trial in freedom.

The defense also focused on the need to resolve Saadia Mesbah’s legal situation, questioning the legal basis for her continued detention despite exceeding the maximum lawful detention period under Article 88, which they considered a procedural violation requiring her immediate release.

She clarified that the solidarity evening was not only in support of Saadia Mesbah as an individual but aimed to raise public awareness of her human rights situation and reaffirm the demand for her acquittal. The event, coinciding with International Women’s Day, raised urgent questions about the regression of women’s rights and actual equality in Tunisia. “Women’s rights are inseparable from universal human rights,” she stated, considering the case a real test of fair trial principles.

Mounia El-Abed concluded by highlighting the concerning rise in judicial prosecutions targeting women activists in civil and associative work, describing trials against women for their opinions and stances as having reached “unreasonable and excessive levels.” She emphasized the utmost importance of solidarity with all “oppressed women, fighters, and human rights defenders,” noting that defending activists is an integral part of protecting freedom of expression and civil work in Tunisia.