Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Tunisian counterpart on (a) the mass trial of political figures in April 2025 and (b) the need for (i) due process and (ii) humane treatment for political detainees in Tunisia.

The UK monitors the situation in Tunisia closely. As noted in a statement by the UK at the Human Rights Council last October, the space for political participation in Tunisia has shrunk considerably and the way legitimate political actors have been arrested raises serious questions about the independence of the judiciary.

During my visit to Tunisia in July, I raised our concerns on the human rights and civil society environment with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and met with representatives of Tunisian civil society to understand more about the situation. The Foreign Secretary also noted the importance of political participation and human rights in discussions with the Tunisian Government in January. Our Ambassador in Tunisia regularly raises individual cases of concern in discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UK actively explores a range of programmes and activities to encourage and support an open society.