Tunisian President Kais Saied criticized the Supreme Judicial Council in the country, accusing it of manipulating several cases and declaring that it has become a "thing of the past." In a speech he delivered on Saturday evening during a meeting at the Ministry of the Interior, Saied stated that Tunisia would commemorate the ninth anniversary of the assassination of the general secretary of the "Unified Democratic Patriots Party," Shukri Belaid, who was killed on February 6, 2013. He added that "Tunisian citizens will demand the dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council."
He noted that this case has remained in the courts for many years and has been manipulated by several judges who have no place in the courts except as defendants. He pointed out that "this is not the first case they are trying to cover up and keep on the shelves for years so that the truth remains hidden." Saied said: "We will work to put an end to this miserable situation, and we will implement a temporary decree for the Supreme Judicial Council, considering it a thing of the past from this moment onward."
Saied deemed the Supreme Judicial Council as a council where "positions are bought," and the judicial movement is based on loyalties. Addressing the issue of demonstrations, he said: "I came here at this late hour to say that it is the right of Tunisians to demonstrate, their right to commemorate this anniversary, but within the framework of respect for the law and without colliding with the security forces, considering they are national forces trying to protect them from infiltrators."
