Tunisian lawyers staged a physical strike at the Palace of Justice in the capital city of Tunis.
According to Radio Mosaique, the legal professionals also held a protest rally and declared a “day of rage” in front of the courthouse.
The situation escalated when journalists were barred from covering the event inside the court, prompting the lawyers to continue their demonstration on the streets outside the Palace of Justice and near the headquarters of the Bar Association.
The strike across major courts in Tunisia is a protest against what the lawyers describe as “restrictions on the defense counsel during their right to defend freedoms and rights.”
Additionally, the lawyers condemned the deteriorating working conditions within the judicial system, as reported by Aroussi Zaguir, president of the regional Bar Association branch.
Zaguir warned that the Tunis branch would take escalatory steps if the Justice Ministry did not respond to their demands.
These steps could include boycotting criminal sessions and public prosecutions, following a forthcoming meeting of the Bar Association’s council.
This action follows a similar pattern of civil unrest, notably the large-scale labor rally held by the Tunisian General Labor Union in Government Square at the Kasbah last March, protesting stalled social dialogue and demanding government negotiations to enforce prior agreements.
During the rally, hundreds of public sector workers called for improved living conditions and expressed their opposition to what they perceived as a restriction and undermining of union work.
Nourredine Taboubi, the union’s general secretary, criticized the government for completely shutting down social dialogue due to political, economic, and social reasons, while also failing to activate previously signed agreements.
