Month: May 2024

Tunis: President Kais Saied met on Monday at Carthage Palace with Libyan Minister of the Interior, Major General Imad Mustafa Trabelsi.

The meeting focused on the “excellent relations between the two countries and the determination to develop them further in all fields, particularly in coordinating efforts on the issue of irregular migration,” according to a statement from the presidency.

The President of the Republic reiterated that this phenomenon, ‘which is worsening day by day,’ can only be tackled by coordinating and complementing positions and eliminating its causes, within the framework of a new approach involving all the countries concerned.

The Head of State reaffirmed Tunisia’s firm position, which is a total and principled refusal to allow the country to be a transit point or a place of refuge for those who come to Tunisia outside the framework of the law.

The meeting also discussed the joint work between the two countries to overcome all difficulties as soon as possible in order to reopen the
Ras Jedir border crossing, not only because of its economic and commercial importance, but also to ‘maintain the common belief that the Tunisian and Libyan peoples are indeed one people,’ according to the same statement.

“Crossing in one direction or the other is natural and must take place in the best conditions, which both Tunisia and Libya are working to achieve in full harmony,” it added.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: The development of the Ras Jedir border crossing between Tunisia and Libya, the elimination of difficulties in the movement of travellers, security coordination and the issue of migrants from the Sahel and sub-Saharan countries were discussed at a working meeting held in Tunis on Monday between Interior Minister Kamel Feki and his Libyan counterpart, Major General Imad Mustafa Trabelsi.

The meeting was attended by senior security officials from both ministries, according to an Interior Ministry statement.

During the meeting, the Libyan side expressed the ‘importance of the Ras Jedir border crossing for the two peoples’ and the ‘commitment to work to reopen it as soon as possible for the movement of travellers and trade in good conditions as work progresses and maintenance and equipment are completed.’

During the meeting, it was agreed to continue the work of the joint field team to monitor traffic at the Ras Jedir crossing and to submit serious proposals on all related issues for implementation on t
he ground to facilitate the passage of travellers from both sides.

The two parties stressed the need to strengthen the work of the Permanent Joint Security Committee and to continue holding coordination meetings in order to further consolidate bilateral relations and raise them to the highest level, the statement said.

For his part, Interior Minister Kamel Feki stressed “the need for greater coordination and bilateral cooperation in the field of security”, reflecting the fraternal relations between the two peoples and the long-standing partnership between Tunisia and Libya, particularly in the field of information exchange and the fight against organised crime.

The working meeting “highlighted the importance of the issue of African migrants from the Sahel and sub-Saharan countries and their impact on the two countries and the need to limit their flow across the borders. This requires concerted efforts and joint coordination in order to find appropriate solutions that take into account the supreme interest
of both countries,” it said.

The Libyan interior minister arrived in Tunisia on Monday for a working visit.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki and all those who participated with him in a press conference held abroad have been placed under investigation and on a wanted list, following the completion of preliminary investigations, spokesperson for the judicial anti-terrorism division, Hanen Gaddes, said on Monday.

A unit specialising in the investigation of terrorist crimes found that Marzouki ‘deliberately attacked state institutions and a number of judges in this conference, defaming them, attributing false things to them that affect their reputation and respect, and putting them on a list,” Gaddes added.

In a statement to TAP, Gaddes pointed out that the necessary judicial authorisation has been obtained for those who have the status of practicing lawyers and that an investigating judge (who is not included in the mentioned list) has been entrusted with the investigation and the issuance of the necessary legal notices.

She explained that the defamed judges include a number of judges serving in th
e anti-terrorism division, including prosecutors and first investigative judges, who are protected by the anti-terrorism law.

Marzouki published the names and qualifications of these judges, endangering their lives due to their specialisation, which is a criminal offence under the provisions of Articles 71 and 78 of the Anti-Terrorism and Prevention of Money Laundering Law.

On February 23, 2024, the Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced Marzouki in absentia to eight years in prison, according to spokesperson for the Tunis Court of First Instance, Mohamed Zitouna.

The charges against him were ‘assault with the aim of changing the form of the government and inciting the population to attack each other with weapons, to provoke disturbances, confusion, murder and looting on Tunisian soil’, according to Article 72 of the penal code, he added.

This followed the publication on social media of a speech he had delivered at a seminar abroad, in which the defendant called on state instituti
ons to act and overthrow the government.

It should be noted that on December 22, 2021, the Court of First Instance in Tunis sentenced Marzouki to four years’ imprisonment in the first instance for his statements to the media abroad, in which he specifically called for the Francophone Summit not to be held in Tunisia.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: Representatives of the Ministry of Finance, heard on Monday by the Committee on Rights and Freedoms of the Assembly of People’s Representatives on the draft organic law on associations, suggested that the draft law should stipulate that “associations must open a postal current account and submit all financial transactions to a financial audit carried out by the Central Bank, with notification to the Tunisian Financial Analysis Committee”.

According to the Parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Finance stated that the Ministry controls the transparency of funding for associations with limited budgets, and that with regard to associations receiving foreign funding, Article 102 of the Organic Law on the Fight against Terrorism and the Suppression of Money Laundering regulates this issue.

With regard to financial transfers from abroad, they pointed out that the Minister of Finance could, on the basis of the aforementioned law, require prior authorisation for associations suspected of having links
with persons, groups or activities condemned under the anti-terrorism law.

In response to questions from MPs, they considered that there was no need to set up a fund within the Prime Ministry to support associations and voluntary work, as public funding is regulated by decree.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: The board of Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) met on Monday and decided to start updating the electoral register remotely and at regional headquarters as of May 20.

To this end, the ISIE will set up the website “Touenssa.isie.tn” for voters to register and a free SMS service to help them check the polling station where they are registered, according to an ISIE press release.

The ISIE board also approved the list of candidates initially shortlisted for the first district council (Jendouba governorate) and the fourth district council (Tozeur governorate).

The list of candidates will be published before the by-elections, which are scheduled for May 12.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunis: National Coalition leader Neji Jalloul will stand in the 2024 presidential elections, the party announced Monday at the end of its 2nd congress held on May 4-5 in Monastir under the slogan “Achievement”.

Neji Jalloul, one of four candidates, managed to clinch party nomination. He was also elected, with a majority of votes, as party President for a new term.

Jalloul, who served as education minister (from 2015 to 2017), run for president in 2019. He obtained 0.2% of vote in the first round.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse