Tunisian police on Monday blocked access to the country's top judicial watchdog in a move its chief slammed as "illegal," two days after President Kais Saied dissolved the body. The United States, for its part, said it was "deeply concerned" by Saied's action. Security forces blocked all roads to the Supreme Judicial Council (CSM) headquarters in Tunis. "We don't know who issued these orders, but we know that they have no legal basis," CSM president Youssef Bouzakher told AFP.
Saied dissolved the body on Sunday, months after sacking the government and seizing wide-reaching powers in Tunisia, often lauded as the only democracy to emerge from the 2011 Arab revolts. "An independent judiciary is a core element of an effective and transparent democracy," said State Department spokesman Ned Price. "It is essential that the government of Tunisia holds its commitments to respect the independence of the judiciary, as stipulated in the constitution." Saied's supporters say his power grab on July 25 was necessary after a decade of misgovernance by corrupt political parties. Saied vowed Monday that he would not interfere in court cases or judicial appointments, but critics say Saied has pushed the country down a dangerous route back toward autocracy.
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