ICJ Raises Alarm over Repression in Tunisia and Arbitrary Detention in El Salvador

At the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) highlighted two situations requiring the Council’s attention: the escalating repression of human rights defenders and associations in Tunisia, and widespread and systematic arbitrary detention in hashtag#ElSalvador. In hashtag#Tunisia, the ICJ raised concerns over the prosecution of opposition leaders, lawyers and others on spurious charges of “conspiracy against State security”, as well as the imprisonment of human rights defenders and the suspension or dissolution of human rights associations. The ICJ urged Member States to call on Tunisia to cease prosecution for political reasons and guarantee freedom of association and expression. In El Salvador, the ICJ and Cristosal highlighted the widespread and systematic arbitrary detention carried out under the state of exception in force since 2022. More than 93,000 people have been arbitrarily deprived of liberty, many without a warrant and without access to legal counsel or their families. Many detainees have also been subjected to enforced disappearance. The statement further raised concerns over allegedly unlawful deaths in custody and mass trials of thousands of defendants under a single case file, which constitute a systematic denial of the right to a fair trial. The ICJ and Cristosal called on the Human Rights Council and OHCHR to effectively address the collapse of the rule of law in El Salvador. Read the full statement: https://www.icj.org/hrc63-icj-raises-...