US Should Use Sanctions to Hold Tunisian Leaders Accountable, Senators Say
The State Department should sanction entities in Tunisia undermining the country’s stability, said Sens. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The lawmakers said President Kais Saied’s recent constitutional referendum was a “vast expansion of presidential powers and drastically diminished the Tunisian people’s ability to elect their own government.” The U.S. should work with G7 partners to “address the erosion of Tunisian democracy and mitigate the effects of the country’s economic crisis,” the Oct. 16 letter said.
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“[A]s the United States evaluates a range of tools to address Tunisia’s democratic backsliding, we ask that you consider sanctions on entities that have engaged in corruption, undermining Tunisian economic and political stability for their own personal benefit,” the senators told the State Department. “The G7 must speak with a unified voice and condition assistance on clear democratic reform benchmarks, to include reinstating an independent judiciary, removing restrictions on political parties, protecting freedom of the press, and allowing unfettered election observation.” The State Department didn’t comment.