trousers, kicking him repeatedly and beating Authorities placed at least 11 people under him with batons. The interior ministry first house arrest between July and October, in denied the incident, but subsequently some cases without a clear explanation. All suspended three officers. None of the officers the orders had been lifted by the end of the 4 was held to account before a court. year. UNFAIR TRIALS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION MILITARY TRIALS OF CIVILIANS Authorities continued to cite vaguely worded From July, the military justice system laws criminalizing insult, defamation and investigated and prosecuted at least ten incitement to violence to investigate and civilians, including four for criticizing prosecute people for non-violent speech, President Saïed, a significant increase from including before military courts. previous years. In January, amid protests over poverty and A military court investigated six members of police violence, police in Tunis arrested parliament (MPs) from the Al Karama party, Ahmed Ghram for Facebook posts critical of along with a lawyer from Tunis, over an police repression and alleged official altercation in March with the police at Tunis corruption, accusing him of inciting looting. international airport. He was detained for 11 days before a court In July, a military court jailed MP Yassine acquitted him. Police in Tunis also arrested Ayari for two months for a 2018 conviction activist Hamza Nasri Jerridi while he was under Article 91 of the Military Code of protesting peacefully, accusing him of Justice, which criminalizes insulting the insulting a police officer. He was detained for army. After 25 July, he faced a new trial three days before a judge ordered his release before a military court on various charges, pending trial. including further accusations of insulting the In April, the health ministry barred all but a army and offending the president, after he selected list of public sector health workers criticized President Saïed for staging what he from speaking publicly about the Covid-19 described as “a military coup”. The court pandemic in Tunisia, threatening them with 5 acquitted him on 27 October. Also in disciplinary action or criminal prosecution if 7 October, a military court investigated they did not comply. television presenter Amer Ayad and Al On 26 July, police in plain clothes raided Al Karama MP Abdellatif Aloui under Penal Jazeera's office in Tunis and confiscated staff Code provisions that criminalize offending the phones and office keys. president, seeking to change state structure, In October, the media regulator ordered the inciting violence or defaming a public official. closure of Zitouna TV, a private television FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT station, three days after police arrested a presenter and an MP for their on-air criticism From August, airport police arbitrarily barred of President Saïed. The regulator said the at least 50 Tunisians from travelling abroad, station was operating without a licence. The without providing a court order, time frame or same month, police closed down private 6 explanation. Under Tunisian law, only stations Nessma TV and Al-Quran radio, judicial authorities may order travel bans. saying they were operating without a licence. President Saïed said on 16 August that the bans were part of efforts to prevent people REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS suspected of corruption or posing a security UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, registered threat from fleeing the country. By the end of 3,920 refugees and asylum seekers during the year, this practice ceased after the 2021, a 21% increase from 2020. While president called on security forces not to Tunisia’s Constitution guarantees the right to impose them without a judicial order. seek political asylum, its law does not provide Amnesty International Report 2021/22 369