Said Mechichi

Said Mechichi was born on May 3^rd, 1961 in Boussalem (a town situated in Tunisia’s Jendouba governorate). He is a lawyer and human rights activist, and he has recently been nominated as Secretary of State for the Minister of Interior in Tunisia’s new government.

Mechichi attended primary and secondary school in Boussalem. He received his baccalaureate in 1981, and enrolled in the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences in Tunis. He graduated in 1985, and then received another diploma in private law in 1987.

In 1994, Mechichi joined the Tunisian political party Ettakatol, and he was subsequently appointed as a member in its political bureau in charge of legal issues. During the 2009 elections, he was the head of Ettakatol’s list in Jendouba. However, the list was later canceled — along with Ettakatol’s remaining 16 lists — when the former regime began a crackdown on political opposition.

Mechichi is also known for his activism. Between 1994 and 2000, he was the Vice President of the Jendouba branch of the Tunisian League for the Protection of Human Rights, and he later became the financial manager of the organization. He founded the Organization for the Struggle Against Torture in 2003. Mechichi also joined the National Council for Liberties in 2000, and became a leading member beginning in 2003.

In 2002, Mechichi received the Fadhel Ghdamsi Prize for Human Rights, which is awarded to young lawyers who dedicate their lives to the defense of freedom of expression and opinion. After the fall of the Ben Ali regime, he became a member of the Committee for the Formation of Internal Law in the Constituent Assembly.

Mechichi explained that he did not spend time in jail during the overthrown regime’s era, but that he witnessed many restrictions and was monitored by Ben Ali’s authorities.  He added that Ben Ali’s regime made numerous citizens consider him suspect, and many were not willing to visit his office in Jendouba so that he could defend their cases in courts.

In terms of plans for Tunisia’s future, Mechichi stated,“We are now trying to solve economic and social demands, and we will do our best to further reinforce the underprivileged and internal towns and cities.  We have to fix all sectors’ temporary, short-term, and long-term needs, and then we must focus on radical reform of the administration, the local and the municipal councils, the rights of the security units, and guarantee security for citizens.”