a legal and procedural framework for asylum In March, a Tunis court sentenced women’s seekers. rights and LGBTI activist Rania Amdouni to On 25 August, unidentified men abducted six months in prison for “insulting a public Algerian Amazigh activist and Christian official”, under Article 125 of the Penal Code, convert Slimane Bouhafs from his home in after she went to a police station to report 9 Tunis. A refugee registered with UNHCR, he police harassment due to her activism. At was forcibly returned to Algeria, where he the station, eight officers insulted and was imprisoned. By the end of the year, threatened her because of her gender Tunisian authorities had not issued formal expression, while refusing to register her comment on the matter.8 complaint. When she protested against her WOMEN'S RIGHTS treatment outside the station, officers arrested her. Impunity for violence against women In October, two police officers in Tunis continued. In May, Refka Cherni was fatally insulted and violently assaulted LGBTI activist shot by her husband two days after filing a Badr Baabou, who heads the prominent complaint against him with police for Tunisian LGBTI rights group DAMJ. As he lay frequent physical abuse. After she made on the ground, the officers stole his laptop repeated complaints, police referred the case and mobile phone, and told him the beating to a prosecutor but did not arrest or issue a was retaliation for filing complaints against protection order against her husband, a police and “defending whores” and gay police officer. The prosecutor also failed to people, about whom they used homophobic order any measures to protect Refka Cherni language. from potential violence, saying that she had IMPUNITY decided to drop the complaint. In October, trial proceedings began against No judgments or verdicts were delivered in MP Zouhair Makhlouf for sexual harassment, 10 trials against members of security forces after his parliamentary immunity was lifted. for excessive use of force and other abuses Protests against his crimes were led by against civilians during Tunisia’s December feminist groups in front of the court in Nabeul 2010 to January 2011 revolution. The trials, town. In November, he was sentenced to one which opened in 2018, were held before year in prison. specialized courts and based on referrals by the Truth and Dignity Commission created 10 LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS after the revolution. LGBTI activists continued to be arrested and DEATH PENALTY prosecuted under laws that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations, Death sentences were handed down; there “indecency” and acts deemed “offensive to were no executions. public morals”. Violent attacks against and harassment of them by the police increased 1. Tunisia: COVID-19 Vaccination Plan Must Be Fair and Transparent in 2021. (Index: MDE 30/4459/2021), 15 July Transgender people faced arrest under 2. “Tunisia: Authorities must refrain from using unnecessary and vague “public decency” articles of the Penal excessive force against protesters”, 18 January Code, including Article 226bis. 3. “Tunisia: Investigate circumstances of a young man’s death following In February, security forces assaulted, reckless tear gas use by police”, 28 January threatened and verbally harassed LGBTI 4. “Tunisia: Death following violent arrest highlights cycle of police activists during protests and harassed them impunity”, 18 June online, including by posting activists’ 5. Tunisia: Parliamentarian Convicted by Military Court: Yassine Ayari addresses, phone numbers and sexual (Index: MDE 30/4718/2021), 14 September orientation on social media. 6. “Tunisia: President must lift arbitrary travel bans”, 26 August Amnesty International Report 2021/22 370