Lawyers for a prominent human rights activist who headed Tunisia's now-defunct Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD) and has been detained since August, issued a renewed call Wednesday for her release.
Sihem Bensedrine was arrested for allegedly "falsifying" the final report published in 2020 of the commission's investigation into alleged abuses under the country's past autocratic rulers.
She faces charges in seven cases, including accusations of accepting a bribe to include a passage accusing the Franco-Tunisian Bank (BFT) of corruption, which she denies.
"This is a politically motivated case fabricated against her," her lawyer Abderraouf Ayadi said, arguing that all charges stem from her role as an outspoken critic of the government.
"Tunisia's judiciary is currently under political influence," he added.
Since September, her lawyers have filed multiple requests for her release but have yet to receive a response, Ayadi said.
The defence team has called for the annulment of all charges against her, citing legal immunity for IVD members during their mandate.
Established in 2014 in the aftermath of Tunisia's 2011 revolution, the IVD was tasked with documenting state-led human rights violations between 1955 and 2013.
This period includes the authoritarian rule of presidents Habib Bourguiba and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was ousted during the revolution.
In August, UN-mandated human rights experts urged Tunisia to ensure Bensedrine receives a fair trial and warned that her detention could amount to judicial harassment.
Her arrest "raises serious concerns about the respect of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in Tunisia and has a chilling effect on journalists, human rights defenders and civil society in general," the experts said in a joint statement.