Member of the FIDH, the Tunisian League of Human Rights (LTDH for the French abbreviation) is an association founded in 1976 and aimed at the observation and defense of human rights in Tunisia . She is the doyenne of the human rights leagues in Africa and in the Arab world.

The LTDH has nearly 3,000 members in 2008, compared with just over 4,200 at the end of the 1980s, who pay a nominal fee of ten dinars far from overhead costs. The new memberships have been frozen since 1994, for fear of infiltration of Islamist militants or people close to power in its ranks. The members of the board are all volunteers.

History

Founded in 1976 by a group of personalities from the liberal movement, it was legalized on May 5, 1977. Composed of lawyers, teachers, doctors, lawyers and journalists, it is chaired by Professor Saadeddine Zmerli (head of department of urology at Charles-Nicolle Hospital) until 1988 [3]. In the 1980s, the relationship of the association with the power of Habib Bourguiba deteriorated but the arrival of the new president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 1987 relaxes the situation with measures affecting the custody or repeal instruments of political justice.

In 1988, Zmerli became Minister of Health followed a year later by former Secretary General Dali Jazi and his successor Mohamed Charfi appointed Minister of Education after eight months at the head of the LTDH. The third congress held in March 1989 brought Moncef Marzouki to the presidency, but the association entered an area of ​​turmoil in the early 1990s, in a context of repression of Islamist militants in Ennahda. In 1992, an amendment to the law on associations forced the LTDH to accept any person wishing to join without reserve, including activists of the ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), even if the measure is no longer applied in March 1993. The fourth congress held in February 1994 resulted in the ouster of Marzouki and the election of Taoufik Bouderbala, a supporter of a conciliatory line with the government. Despite the choice of this strategy, Khemais Chammari and Khemais Ksila are imprisoned and the LTDH is overwhelmed by more radical associations such as the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia created in 1998.

The fifth congress held in October 2000 brought the close lawyer of the Communist Party of Tunisian Workers, Mokhtar Trifi, to the presidency against Fadhel Ghedamsi considered close to the RCD. On November 14, the unelected candidates get the cancellation of the general assembly due to formal defects and, on November 27, the association is placed under judicial administration and the activities of its office are frozen. The congress is again convened by a court decision issued on 21 June 2001. In 2005, the merger and dissolution of 14 sections, 7 of which were controlled by relatives of the RCD, organized as a prelude to the congress scheduled for September, led to a new judicial blockage that led to a new freeze on activities. The sixth congress of the LTDH which tries to take place on May 27, 2006 in Tunis is forbidden.

In 2007, the appointment of former Ambassador Moncer Rouissi as head of the High Council for Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, dependent on the government, allows the beginning of a dialogue even if the sixth congress could be held to date. However, the LTDH Steering Committee continues to meet weekly.

On January 17, 2011, the "government of national unity" established following the jasmine revolution announces, during its formation, the definitive lifting of the prohibition of all the activities of the league on the Tunisian territory.