The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied any withdrawal of the protocol relating to the African Charter of Human and Peoples, while announcing the revocation of the 2017 Declaration by which Tunisia accepted the jurisdiction of the African Court of Human and Peoples to examine individual complaints and those of NGOs.
According to the ministry, this decision is explained by the multiplication of complaints deemed “instrumentalized for political purposes” targeting Tunisia. This withdrawal places the country in a trend followed by several other African states, including Tanzania, which have chosen to no longer recognize this competence.
Tunisia, however, ensures that it remains attached to the principles of the African Court and the Charter of Human Rights. The ministry insists on national sovereignty and affirms that this decision does not in any way signify a disengagement in terms of human rights or African cooperation.
However, this announcement does not leave indifferent. If the government sees it as a sovereign act aimed at protecting Tunisian institutions, some observers wonder about the long -term consequences of this decision. Voices, notably from the associative environment, express their concern about the reduction of remedies for citizens in the event of violations of fundamental rights.
