Protests outside Tunis’s Court of First Instance have become increasingly frequent in recent weeks, as activists and civil society groups warn of a rapidly shrinking civic space in Tunisia. Demonstrators have gathered to denounce what they describe as unjust administrative suspensions imposed on non-governmental organisations, amid growing fears that restrictions on freedoms are becoming permanent.
Over the past two years, dozens of NGOs in the North African country have reportedly been suspended for 30 days and threatened with dissolution through court orders. Among the latest organisations targeted are the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH), Africa’s oldest human rights organisation and a member of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet that received the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, as well as Lawyers Without Borders (ASF), headquartered in Belgium.
The Al Khatt foundation, which owns the investigative media outlet Inkyfada, has also been suspended and now faces dissolution proceedings. “It all started in October 2025 with a sudden, one-month suspension designed to silence our publications,” Inkyfada editorial director Manel Lassoued told Middle East Eye.
“But we didn’t stop. We kept working and appealed the decision, trusting in our fundamental right to a defence and an impartial justice system,” she added.
Several other organisationshave also reportedly received court-ordered suspensions.Around 600 groups are reportedly under investigation.