Ahmed Souab
On 12 June 2025, Ahmed Souab was awarded the Ebru Timtik Prize on International Fair Trial Day in recognition of his human rights work.
Ahmed Souab is a Tunisian lawyer and human rights defender. He is widely renowned for his longstanding commitment to upholding the rule of law, having been a prominent magistrate judge in the Tunisian Adminstrative Court for decades. Even under the repressive regime of Ben Ali, he continuously defended and demonstrated the principle of judicial independence. Notably, the defender presided over a chamber in 2004 which ruled against the Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) in a high-profile case concerning fictitious employment practices. The human rights defender is also a founding member of the Union of Administrative Judges.
Following the Tunisian revolution and fall of Ben Ali in 2011, Ahmed Souab became an important reference point for Tunisian civil society, offering legal advice and supporting efforts to uphold democratic freedoms and fundamental rights. As a lawyer, he has continued to defend human rights, remaining vocal in denouncing the erosion of judicial independence and pressures faced by judges in Tunisia. On 12 June 2025, Ahmed Souab was awarded the Ebru Timtik Prize on International Fair Trial Day in recognition of his human rights work.
Following the ousting of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali as a result of the historic protests in 2011, the situation for human rights defenders (HRDs) in Tunisia began to improve substantially. In particular the lifting of legal impediments to the work of human rights defenders and progress in the adoption of human rights legislation have been significant. Numerous HRDs who had been persecuted by the Ben Ali's regime found opportunities for viable political participation including, notably, Moncef Marzouki who was elected interim President.
