23 June 2022; MEMO: Three judges in Tunisia have staged a hunger strike in protest against President Kais Saied's decision to sack 57 judges, including them, Anadolu News Agency reported.
This came in a statement read out on Wednesday by Hammadi Rahmani, one of the three striking judges, in the capital, Tunis.
The judges on hunger strike are Rahmani, Ramzi Bahria and Mohamed Taher Kanzari.
The judges demanded that all dismissed judges return to their posts and called for the opening of an administrative investigation into the circumstances that led to choosing the list of the sacked judges, with the aim of liquidating judges known for their independence, integrity and competence.
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They also stressed on the need to "restore the constitutional path of the judiciary, adhere to the principle of separation of powers and stop interfering in the judiciary".
Earlier on Wednesday, four former heads of the Tunisian Bar Association called, in a statement to President Saied, to reverse the dismissal decision, affirming their support for the judges in their protest movements "in defence of their independence".
On Saturday, the Judges' Association decided to extend their national strike for a third week in protest against Saied's decision to sack dozens of them.
Saied dismissed 57 judges on 1 June, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists – charges that the Tunisian Judges' Association said were mostly politically motivated.
