By Sofiene Ben Hamida
“They lie.. And know they are liars, and know that we know they are liars.. Yet they lie out loud. » Nejib Mahfoudh.
Let us say it from the outset, the performance of the minister responsible for the function of what the current power considers as justice, before the two chambers supposed to be those of the representatives of the people, during the discussion of the state budget for next year, was astonishing. In his interventions, with his pretentious and haughty air, Leila Jaffel,
An angelic vision of justice
For her, justice in the country is doing well and everything is going well in the world. As proof, it plans to build new prisons and expand and adapt existing ones. However, it could have avoided these unnecessary expenses by releasing half of the prison population (estimated at more than 36,000 individuals, unheard of in the country even under Bourguiba, Ben Ali or the troika) who are currently languishing in prison awaiting trial.
It could also have unclogged the prisons with a judicial policy more respectful of human rights which does not throw into prison opponents of power, political actors, community activists, lawyers, journalists and even citizens who dare to take an interest in public affairs.
Given what has been happening in the country for more than three years, the announcement of the creation of new prison units could imply that the country should expect an intensification of reprisals against civil society actors who adopt critical positions towards the power in place.
Provocative statements and rewriting of reality
Moreover, against all logic, the Minister of Justice unflinchingly asserts that Article 24 of Decree 54 is absolutely not repressive and does not gag freedom of expression. Faced with this extravagance, we no longer dare mention the dozens of people charged and imprisoned on the basis of this article. The snake is so big that it stays across the throat.
Also without flinching, she states that the absence of the superior council of the judiciary does not undermine the independence of justice given that the former council did not play its role correctly. This is called throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If Minister Jaffel’s university studies were not authenticated, one would have thought that she studied law in North Korea.
The high point: the denial of the hunger strike
But the high point of Minister Jaffel’s performance was when she alleged that the political prisoners in the so-called conspiracy affair who are on wild hunger strike are not really on strike. “They’re all eating,” she said, giggling. “Those who did not eat much, ate a little, even in places that are not suitable for eating,” referring to toilets without surveillance cameras. Faced with this ignominy, we can only hope that the hunger strikers escape with the least damage.
In revolutionary France, the phrase “Give them some brioche” was attributed to Queen Marie-Antoinette for propagandistic purposes but also to symbolize the ignorance of the elites in the face of the problems of the people. Two and a half centuries later, Minister Jaffel seems to adopt the same attitude, minus the finesse and grace of the Queen of France.
In a democratic Republic, such a catastrophic exit from the Minister of Justice would have cost her her portfolio and would have pushed her to present a public apology and resignation. In a presidential regime, the head of state would have fired his minister of justice. In a country where institutions function properly, parliament would have refused to vote on the budget of the Ministry of Justice.
Let’s bet that the two Tunisian parliamentary chambers will play their role as registration chambers as usual and that they will vote on the state budget for the year 2026.