Tunisian torture victims appeal to UN over country’s failure to convict abusers

Six Tunisian torture victims have filed complaints with the UN Committee Against Torture, protesting the country’s failure to secure convictions for abuse, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) said Thursday according to AFP. Despite the creation of special courts in 2018 to address abuses under pre-Arab Spring regimes, no trials have resulted in convictions, said Mokhtar Trifi, OMCT’s vice-president.

The cases include survivors Rached Jaidane and Mohamed Koussai Jaibi, imprisoned from 1993 to 2006, and families of four men who died in custody. "I want a formal apology from the state," Jaidane said.

OMCT’s legal team described the UN complaints as a “last recourse” after years of stalled justice due to a lack of qualified judges, absent defendants, and weak political will. Tunisia, a signatory to the UN Convention against Torture, could face international condemnation if the complaints are upheld.