UN troubled by jailing of political opponents in Tunisia

The United Nations said on Tuesday it was troubled by the presidential election campaign in Tunisia, which had been "marred" by a crackdown on the opposition.

Three years after making a sweeping power grab, Kais Saied was re-elected president of Tunisia with 90.69 percent of the votes cast, the ISIE electoral authority announced Monday.

A low turnout reflected widespread discontent in the country, which was the cradle of Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings.

Saied had been widely expected to win after the ISIE barred 14 candidates from standing, with other figures jailed.

"Such cases are troubling. Their trials indicate a lack of respect for due process and fair trial guarantees," UN human rights chief Volker Turk said.

His statement recalled that out of 17 prospective candidates only three were accepted, while a number of presidential hopefuls were arrested and served lengthy prison sentences on various charges.

Meanwhile more than 100 prospective candidates, their campaign members and other political figures were arrested on a variety of charges ranging from falsification of electoral paperwork to issues related to national security.

Turk called on the Tunisian authorities to protect the country's democratic processes and uphold fundamental freedoms.

"Since 2011, Tunisia had been a pioneer in efforts to ensure accountability and redress for past abuses, including through the work of the Truth and Dignity Commission," Turk said.

"Unfortunately, a number of these gains have been lost, and the recent arrest of the former head of the commission is an example."

Rights groups fear Saied's re-election will entrench his grip on the only democracy to emerge from the 2011 Arab Spring protests.

Turk noted the broader context of increasing pressure on civil society over the past year, targeting numerous journalists, human rights defenders and political opponents, as well as judges and lawyers.

"I strongly urge Tunisia to recommit to transitional justice in the interests of victims, and to embark on much needed rule of law reforms, in line with international human rights law, including with regard to freedoms of expression, assembly and association," said Turk.

"I also call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained."

Turk said he was also concerned about the elections authority refusing to apply a ruling by the Administrative Court ordering the readmission of three excluded candidates, with the parliament passing a law removing electoral dispute from the court's jurisdiction just days before the election.

"The rejection of a legally binding court decision is at odds with basic respect for the rule of law," said Turk.