Prominent Tunisian human rights advocate freed following UN criticism

Sihem Bensedrine, a leading Tunisian human rights activist, was released from prison just two days after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned Tunisia for its "persecution of the opposition," AFP reports. Her release followed a ruling by an appeals court.

Bensedrine was detained six months ago. She was imprisoned at Manouba, a women’s prison. In January, she launched a hunger strike to protest her detention, which led to her hospitalization ten days later.

Upon her release, Bensedrine expressed relief, saying, "I can only be happy, as no one wants to be in this hole."

She was initially detained on allegations of falsifying the final report from the now-defunct Truth and Dignity Commission, which she once led. The commission had investigated state-sponsored human rights violations in Tunisia from 1955 to 2013, spanning the regimes of Habib Bourguiba and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was overthrown during the 2011 revolution.

Her legal team denies the charges, arguing that Bensedrine was targeted for her outspoken criticism of President Kais Saied.

Elected democratically in 2019, Saied dissolved Tunisia's parliament in 2021 and has since been accused by rights groups and the UN of suppressing dissent through arbitrary detentions.

Although now free, Bensedrine remains barred from leaving Tunisia as she faces additional charges.

Despite the challenges, Bensedrine remains resolute. "She is determined to fight to assert her rights," her husband told AFP.