OpportunityTitle: Enhancing Detainees&#8217; Rights in Tunisia
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: The following organizations are eligible to apply:  &#8226;  U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);  &#8226;  U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code or section 26 US 115 of the US 115 of the U.S. tax code;  &#8226;  Foreign-based non-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs);  &#8226;  Foreign-based educational institutions
Description: This project seeks to enhance detainees&#8217; rights in Tunisia by expanding access to legal aid and improving enforcement of detainee rights in Tunisia. In 2016, Tunisia passed wide-ranging reforms of its Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). Act 2016-5 (Law 5) enacting article 13 of the CPC gave arrestees in police custody the right to legal counsel and significantly reduced the duration of legal pre-charge detention from 72 to 48 hours. By the order of public prosecutor and when justified, pre-charge detention could be extended with 48 hours for felonies and 24 hours for misdemeanors. In parallel, the anti-terrorism law of 2015 allows prosecutors and police to hold suspects for the first 48 hours without access to a lawyer and extends the duration of pre-charge custody to five days extendable two times for a total of 15 days. Since Law 5 came into force, its application has been uneven. This project seeks to ensure that the rights granted to civilians in Tunisia by Law 5 and criminal procedures proposing alternatives to detention, inter alia, bail provisions, are enforced consistently during the pre-trial phase.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Grantor Email
GrantorContactText: Stephanie Sabbath &lt;br/&gt;Program Officer