Families of imprisoned Tunisian dissidents turn to the International Criminal Court seeking justice

By SAM METZ and BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA
Associated Press

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Family members of imprisoned dissidents in Tunisia want the International Criminal Court to investigate claims of political persecution and human rights violations in their country. An increasing number of Tunisian President Kais Saied’s opponents are being arrested and several have been staging hunger strikes in prisons. The families of seven of Saied’s opponents announced their petition Thursday at The Hague-based court in the Netherlands. Tunisia’s opposition has for more than two years denounced Saied’s increasingly authoritarian drift, saying it amounts to a rollback of gains made since the 2011 Arab Spring protests that ushered in a constitutional overhaul and democratic reforms.