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Tunisia suspends Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights group
The League for Human Rights (LTDH) said it will appeal against the order issued by a court that suspended its operations by a month.
Tunisia suspends Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights group
FILE PHOTO: President Kais Saied has cited foreign funding as a threat to Tunisia. / Reuters

The Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH), the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize winner along with three other groups, has had its operations suspended for a month, its president said Saturday.

The LTDH said in a statement overnight it had been "informed" of the suspension, calling the measure "dangerous and arbitrary", but said the ban was pending official confirmation.

LTDH head Bassem Trifi told AFP the order had been "issued by the Tunis court of first instance", and that the group will appeal.

"We oppose this decision and we will lodge an appeal. We will continue our struggle for rights and freedoms," Trifi said.

The LTDH was told the ban was imposed because of "administrative irregularities", he said, adding that similar accusations were used to target other NGOs in 2025 with temporary suspensions.

By autumn last year, at least 17 NGOs had received month-long suspension orders.

The LTDH was part of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in the North African country's democratic transition.

Since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, the issue of NGO funding has been a recurring topic of debate.

President Kais Saied has accused NGOs of receiving suspicious funds, "huge sums" from abroad, which he has called "blatant interference" in Tunisian affairs.

SOURCE:AFP