US citizen's release stirs controversy over 'political influence' on justice in Tunisia

A US citizen detained for over a year in Tunisia on suspicion of espionage has been released, in a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Tunisian political and human rights circles.

Robert Vieira had been held in the North African country for 13 months after being arrested while undertaking missionary work, according to US officials.

On 13 April, Adam Boehler, the US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, announced Vieira's release and praised the Tunisian authorities for resolving the case and facilitating Vieira's reunion with his family.

Behind the scenes, diplomatic efforts had been underway for months.

The US envoy said he had worked closely with Tunisia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Ali Nafti, to secure Vieira's release.

No formal charges were ever brought against Vieira, and his detention remained in pretrial limbo throughout, according to Reuters.

While the release was celebrated in Washington, it stirred controversy in Tunisia, where the judiciary is widely seen as compromised and subject to political interference.

Vieira's release, alongside the recent acquittal and deportation of 11 Russian nationals previously held on terrorism charges, has fuelled accusations of double standards within the country's justice system.

Tunisian activists and lawyers have pointed to the continued detention of over 40 opposition figures, civil society leaders and journalists, many of whom have been held for more than two years without trial.

Accused of conspiring against state security, most face vague charges, with limited access to legal representation or public hearings.

Families of detainees and members of the press have also been barred from attending court sessions in some cases.

"To get out of prison in Tunisia, it seems you need to be American or Russian. If you're Tunisian, you remain locked up without a crime, facing insults, accusations of betrayal, and being denied even a fair trial," commented Dalila Msaddak, a lawyer representing several opposition figures.

On social media, activists and former members of the parliament that current president Kais Saied dissolved in 2021 also criticised Vieira's release as part of a broader pattern in which international pressure and presidential intervention appear to outweigh legal due process.

"An American accused of spying is free. Eleven Russians too. But what about Tunisians: the thinkers, the civil society voices, still behind bars?" wrote Mustapha Abdelkabir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights.

In February 2022, Saied dissolved Tunisia's Supreme Judicial Council, the body tasked with ensuring judicial independence, describing it as biased and ineffective.

He later granted himself sweeping powers over judicial appointments, tightening his control over the courts.

Kais Saied, a former law professor, seized near-total authority in 2021, dissolving parliament and overseeing the drafting of a new constitution that significantly expanded presidential powers.

Rights groups have since raised alarms over what they describe as a steady erosion of civil liberties and judicial independence.

The Tunisian government has not publicly commented on Vieira's release or the criticism surrounding it.