Domestic implementation of international criminal law
Republic of Tunisia
Domestic Legislation | Transitional Justice | Resources and Links
Crimes Crime of Aggression
No provision
Crimes Against Humanity
No provision. However, since 29 June 2011, Tunisia is a State Party to the Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Article 5 of the said Convention stipulates:
"The widespread or systematic practice of enforced disappearance constitutes a crime against humanity as defined in applicable international law and shall attract the consequences provided for under such applicable international law."
Under Article 32 of the former 1959 Constitution (Amended by constitutional law n° 2002-51 dated 1 June 2002), "... [T]reaties ratified by the President of the Republic and approved by the Chamber of Deputies have a higher authority than that of laws". This hierarchy no longer exists under the 2014 Constitution.
On the other hand, and within the framework of so-called "Transitional Justice", the Organic Law on Establishing and Organizing Transitional Justice was passed in 2013. Article 3 of the said law states:"Article 3: In this law, violation shall mean any gross or systematic infringement of any human right committed by the State's apparatuses or by groups or individuals who acted in State's name or under its protection, even if they do not have the capacity or authority to do so. Violation shall also cover any gross or systematic infringement of any human right committed by organized groups."
Article 8 of the same Law provides :"Article 8: Specialized judicial Chambers should be created by a decree within courts of first instance in the headquarters of appeals courts, and shall consist of judges chosen among judges who have never participated in trials of a political nature, and who will receive special training in the field of transitional justice.
And Article 9: "Lawsuits resulting from the violations stipulated in Article 8 of this law shall not be subject to prescription."
The aforementioned Specialized Chambers should be entrusted in adjudicating cases related to gross violations of human rights as specified in international agreements ratified by Tunisia and in this law. Among these violations are the following:- Deliberate killing,
These judicial units shall be entrusted also in adjudicating cases referred to it by the Truth and Dignity Commission, which are related to election fraud, financial corruption, misuse of public funds, and pushing individuals to forced migration for political reasons."
- Rape and any form of sexual violence,
- Torture,
- Enforced disappearance,
- Execution without fair trial guarantees.
The transitional justice law does not contain any reference to the criminal classifications for the core crimes under international criminal law.Genocide
No provision
War Crimes
No specific provision.
Related documents:Décret n° 2006-1051 portant création de la commission nationale de droit international humanitaire. Journal officiel de la République tunisienne, No. 33, 25 avril 2006. [FRA]
Jurisdiction ➤ Former jurisdictional regime:
Information provided by Tunisia on the scope of universal jurisdiction in accordance with General Assembly resolution 64/117.
The scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction (Agenda item 86), General Assembly of the United Nations, Sixth Committee (Legal), sixty-fifth session (4 October to 11 November 2010).
[General Assembly resolution 64/117 (A/RES/64/117) of 15 January 2010, "[R]equests the Secretary-General to invite Member States to submit, before 30 April 2010, information and observations on the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, including information on the relevant applicable international treaties, their domestic legal rules and judicial practice, and to prepare and submit to the General Assembly, at its sixty-fifth session, a report based on such information and observations." This document contains the reply provided by Tunisia to the said request.]
The above document was prepared in the light of the provisions of the Constitution of 1959. The Constitution of 1959 was enacted by law n°59-57 dated 1 June 1959. It was amended sixteen (16) times the first being in 1965 and the last in 2008. The application of the constitution of 1959 was suspended after the revolution of January 14, 2011 and it was decided to put an end to its provisions according to article 27 of the constituent law n° 2011-6 dated December 16, 2011, relating to the provisional organization of public authorities. [Source: "The constitution of 1959 and previous constitutions", Presidency of the Government, Republic of Tunisia. (Last accessed 01Dec17). (External Link).]
➤ Specialized Judicial Chambers (as of 2014): Accountability for the "systematic infringement of any human right committed by the State's apparatuses or by groups or individuals who acted in State's name or under its protection, even if they do not have the capacity or authority to do so", as well as "any gross or systematic infringement of any human right committed by organized groups", has been entrusted to specialized judicial Chambers created by decree within courts of first instance in the headquarters of appeals courts. (See documents under the "Transitional Justice" section below and more particularly Articles 3, 8, 9 of the Organic Law on Establishing and Organizing Transitional Justice of 31 December 2013).
International Criminal Court
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: The Republic of Tunisia acceded to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on 24 June 2011.
Décret n° 2014-4555, modifiant le décret n° 2014-2887, portant création de chambres criminelles spécialisées dans le domaine de la justice transitionnelle au sein de plusieurs tribunaux de première instance.
Journal officiel de la République tunisienne, No. 3, 9 janvier 2015. [FRA]Décret n° 2014-2887 portant création de chambres criminelles spécialisées dans le domaine de la justice transitionnelle au sein de plusieurs tribunaux de première instance.
Journal officiel de la République tunisienne, No. 65, 12 août 2014. [FRA]Organic Law n° 2014-17 relating to the provisions relating to the transitional justice and affairs related to the period going from 17Dec10 to 28Feb11.
Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia, No. 48, 17 June 2014. [ENG]Organic Law on Establishing and Organizing Transitional Justice.
Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia, No. 105, 31 December 2013. [ENG]
Constitution de la République Tunisienne.
Présidence du Gouvernement, République Tunisienne. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link to pdf document]
Constitution of the Republic of Tunisia. (2014)
Comparative Constitutions Project, University of Texas at Austin. [ENG]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]
Code pénal. Décret du 9 juillet 1913 (5 chaâbane 1331) (JORT n° 79 du 1er octobre 1913) (Version actualisée).
Présidence du Gouvernement, République Tunisienne. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]
Code pénal. (Conformément à la loi n° 2005-46 du 6 juin 2005)
Ministère de la Justice, République Tunisienne. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link to pdf document]
Code de procédure pénale. Loi n°68-23 du 24 juillet 1968 portant refonte du code de procédure pénale. (J.O.R.T. N° 31 des 26 et 30 juillet 1968) (Version actualisée).
Présidence du Gouvernement, République Tunisienne. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]
Code de procédure pénale. (Loi n° 68-23 du 24 juillet 1968, portant refonte du code de procédure pénale).
Ministère de la Justice, République Tunisienne. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link to pdf document]
Recherche sur le Journal officiel de la République Tunisienne (JORT). (Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia).
Présidence du Gouvernement, République Tunisienne. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]
Recherche sur le Journal officiel de la République Tunisienne (JORT). (JORT depuis le 1er janvier 1956).
Centre National Universitaire de Documentation Scientifique et Technique, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la recherche scientifique, République Tunisienne. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]
The latest Official Gazette of laws, decrees and ministerial orders. Official Printing Office of the Republic of Tunisia. [ARA/FRA]. [Last accessed 01Dec17]. [External Link]
Portail national de l'information juridique.
Présidence du Gouvernement, République Tunisienne. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]
National Portal of Legal Information.
Presidency of the Government, Republic of Tunisia. [ENG]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]
Les codes et lois en texte intégral
Jurisite Tunisie. [FRA]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]
List of International Humanitarian Law Treaties to which Tunisia is a State party. [ENG]
International Committee of the Red Cross. [ENG]. [Last accessed 29Nov17]. [External Link]