A total of 46 local, national and regional civil society organisations (CSOs) issued a joint statement on Monday expressing their support for Decree-Law 88-2011 on the organisation of CSOs as a legal text guaranteeing the freedom to form and join organisations, considering that its revision would have an impact on their freedoms and undermine the achievements of democracy. In a joint declaration on 'Preserving Decree-Law 88-2011' issued Monday after a meeting held last Friday, these organisations stressed that this decree-law complies with constitutional and international standards on civil society freedoms and guarantees good governance, transparency and independence of association activity. It should be noted that the proposal to revise or abolish Decree-Law 88 on the pretext of bringing it into line with international standards has provoked a wide range of reactions from the components of civil society in Tunisia. These organisations warned against the repetition of speeches hostile to associative actio n in all its forms and the dissemination of false information about the sources of funding of CSOs and their links with international partners. According to the declaration, the proposed revision of Decree-Law 88-2011 introduced the requirement of prior authorisation from the Prime Ministry to receive funds from abroad. It also banned the leaders of the organisations from standing in presidential, legislative and local elections, and required an approval from the Prime Ministry publication of the CSOs' statutes in the JORT. According to the same source, these organisations called for respect for the right to freedom and independence of civil society, which "in recent years has sought to preserve the gains of the revolution, namely freedom of expression, organisation, the press and association, enshrined in Decree Law 88-2011". They warned against the pressure exerted by the ruling power on the activities of organisations and the persecution of members through false accusations, and expressed their rejecti on of the revision of Decree-Law 88-2011 "with the aim of introducing a repressive law that restricts the freedom of civil society and weakens its role as a force of control and suggestion". The joint declaration was signed by the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights, the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, Lawyers Without Borders, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, the International Organisation Against Torture, the Arab Institute for Human Rights, the Beity organisation, the CALAM organisation, the Free Sight Organisation, the Tunisian Coalition for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, the International Federation for Human Rights Leagues and the Lina Ben Mhenni organisation. The declaration was also signed by the Tunisian League for Citizenship, the Aswat Nissa organisation, Amnesty International, the Tunisian-Mediterranean Centre, the Mourakiboun Network and the Karama Association for Rights and Freedoms, the Tunisian Network f or Transitional Justice, the Nawaat organisation, the Association for the Defence of Human Rights, Al Bawsala, the Nachaz organisation, the League of Tunisian Women Voters, the Tunisian Association for Rights and Freedoms and Support for Initiatives in the Agricultural Sector. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse