Responding to the news that a Tunisian court has sentenced Sihem Bensedrine to 25 years in prison after being convicted on bogus charges in connection with her work as the President of the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD), Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard said:
“This verdict is an utter travesty of justice. It is outrageous that Sihem Bensedrine is facing 25 years behind bars simply for her life-long human rights work and defence. Her unjust conviction is also an assault against transitional justice and accountability for victims of human rights violations.
“That a prominent human rights defender and leading figure of transitional justice in Tunisia following the 2011 uprising is today being vilified and criminalized simply for doing her job starkly illustrates the extent of Tunisia’s human rights regression in recent years. It is also yet another grim example of how Tunisia’s judiciary has been weaponized as a tool of state repression to target human rights defenders, signalling a zero-tolerance approach to any dissent.
It is outrageous that Sihem Bensedrine is facing 25 years behind bars simply for her life-long human rights work
Agnès Callamard, Secretary General
