Chawki Tabib

Tunisia: Chawki Tabib, lawyer at the Tunis Bar, former President of the National Bar Association of Tunisia and former President of the National Authority for the Fight against Corruption, placed under house arrest

Monday 30 August

Mr Chawki Tabib, member of the Tunis Bar and former President of the Tunisian Bar Association, is an eminent lawyer, founder and President of the Tunisian League for Citizenship. He is a member of the Tunisian League of Human Rights and the Tunisian Association of Young Lawyers.

He is also the founding President of the Arab Organization of Young Lawyers, a member of the National Council of the National Bar Association of Tunisia since June 2004 and was appointed in 2016 as President of the Instance Nationale de la Lutte contre la corruption (INLUCC, an authority against corruption). He held this position until his ouster and placement under house arrest on 20 August 2021.

This decision follows the transmission to the Public Prosecutor’s Office by the INLUCC of a file concerning irregularities in the declaration of the head of government’s assets.

The continuation of Mr. Chawki TABIB under house arrest by virtue of a decree governing the state of emergency, without the slightest debate and without the intervention of the judicial judge, constitutes a serious infringement of his fundamental rights and prevents him, in fact, from exercising his profession as a lawyer.

The OIAD firmly condemns this measure.

The OIAD calls on the Tunisian authorities to guarantee the independent exercise of his profession to Mr. Chawki TABIB, in accordance with the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (1990) which state:

” Governments shall ensure that lawyers are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference; are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad ” (Principle 16) ;

The OIAD also calls for the respect of Mr. Chawki TABIB’s fundamental rights and procedural guarantees in accordance with the provisions of the Tunisian Constitution.

The OIAD will follow this case with particular attention.

UPDATE: In a post published on his official Facebook page on Sunday 10 October 2021, Monisieur Chawki Tabib, announced the lifting of his house arrest.