Court postpones LTDH appeal against suspension to 15 July

The Tunis Court of First Instance has postponed examination of the appeal filed by the Tunisian League for Human Rights against the suspension of its activities.

The LTDH said on Wednesday 10 June that the competent chamber at the court had set the next hearing for 15 July.

The organisation said it had challenged the suspension order through the legal procedures available to it and would continue the steps it considers necessary to defend its independence and ensure the continuity of its work.

The League was notified on 24 April of a decision suspending its activities for one month. The order was issued by the president of the Tunis Court of First Instance under decree-law 88 of 2011 on associations.

The authorities justified the suspension on the grounds that the League had allegedly missed the deadline for holding its ordinary general assembly.

The LTDH rejected the decision and described it as arbitrary and unjustified. Rights groups have also criticised the measure, saying it forms part of a wider tightening of the operating space for civil society organisations.

Founded on 14 May 1976 and granted legal status in 1977, the LTDH is one of the oldest human rights organisations in Tunisia, the Arab world and Africa. It has documented rights violations and supported victims across several political periods.

The organisation was also part of the National Dialogue Quartet, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 for its role in helping resolve Tunisia’s 2013 political crisis.

The postponement keeps the case open beyond the original one-month suspension period and leaves the legal status of the organisation under continued review.

The case also comes after Avocats Sans Frontières Tunisie said it had received a similar 30-day suspension order in May under article 45 of decree-law 88 of 2011.

Human rights organisations have warned that the use of suspension orders against established civil society groups could affect freedom of association and the independence of rights work in the country.

The July hearing will determine the next stage of the LTDH’s challenge to the suspension order.