Three among the recently dismissed judges have decided to observe a hunger strike in protest against the presidential Decree No. 516 dismissing 57 judges.
In a declaration announcing the start of the hunger strike, read by Judge Hamadi Rahmani, the strikers demanded annulling Decree No. 516 dismissing 57 judges.
The striking judges include Ramzi Bahria, Mohamed Taher Kanzari and Hamadi Rahmani.
The three judges also condemned the interference of the executive power in the work of the judiciary and demanded “a true independence of the judiciary.”
They also called for “opening an administrative investigation into the dismissed judges list and the involvement of political, administrative and judicial bodies in preparing the list, with the aim of liquidating a number of judges known for their independence, integrity and efficiency.”
Four former deans of the Tunisian Bar Association earlier called on President Kais Saied to reconsider his decision to dismiss 57 judges.
The deans also declared total support to the judges’ protest steps.
Earlier Saturday, Tunisian judges extended their national strike for a third week in protest against a decision by President Kais Saied to sack dozens of their colleagues.
On 1 June, Saied dismissed 57 judges, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists, charges the Tunisian Judges’ Association said were mostly politically motivated.
Last July, Saied dismissed the government and seized executive power in a move his foes called a coup before setting aside the 2014 constitution to rule by decree and dismissing the elected parliament.
Since his sweeping decisions announced, President Kais Saied has repeatedly pointed his finger at judicial authorities. Cases accusing judges of wrongdoing have emerged, with 45 judges now placed under house arrest. A number of lawmakers were also violently arrested and summoned for investigation.
The Tunisian judiciary under Kais Said has been actively and arbitrarily used against prominent figures of the opposition.
