Tunisian lawyers stage 1-day strike over arrest of colleague

By Merve Berker

Lawyers from the Tunisian National Bar Association are holding a daylong general strike on Monday over the arrest of a colleague, local media reported.

“The board of the Tunisian National Bar Association decided a general strike by lawyers on Monday in all the courts of the Republic, in the wake of the ‘raid’ by security forces on Saturday night on the Lawyers' House in Tunis to enforce the arrest warrant against lawyer Sonia Dahmani,” according to the TAP news agency.

The announcement was made by Hatem Meziou, president of the bar association, following an emergency meeting of the board on Sunday, it added.

During the meeting, Meziou announced the board's decision to hold a news conference on May 14, and establish a National Observatory for Lawyers to monitor “violations” against legal professionals, journalists, and citizens.

Additionally, they plan to organize a symbolic protest in front of the Lawyers' House on May 16.

Regarding the raid of the lawyers' house by masked security officers on Saturday evening, Meziou said the bar association would file criminal complaints, emphasizing that lawyers demand respect for the law.

Mohamed Zitouna, spokesperson for the Tunis Court of First Instance, confirmed the execution of an arrest warrant against Dahmani on Saturday evening, clarifying that the charges against her are unrelated to legal practice, without specifying their nature.