Michel Tubiana passed away on Saturday 2 October 2021 at the age of 69.
A life dedicated to human rights: Michel Tubiana was vice-president of the FIDH from 1997 to 2007, president of the LDH (France) from 2000 to 2005 and then honorary president. He was also at the initiative of the creation of the EuroMed Rights network, which he chaired from 2012 to 2018 and of which he was still honorary president.
It is above all because of his qualities as a relentless and tireless activist for human rights and freedoms for all that he was led to exercise these responsibilities.
His clear-sightedness and intelligence, his intransigence on the principles of law, justice and universality of rights led him to put himself tirelessly at the service of many causes. He led one of the first fact-finding missions to Palestine and was an observer in many trials of human rights activists. He has also initiated numerous legal actions brought by the FIDH’s Judicial Action Group in support of victims, against torturers, dictators or their accomplices (Egypt, Syria, Libya, DRC, Colombia...). About these actions, he wrote in the LDH magazine in March 2021: "Defending rights, equal rights, building new ones, this is what cannot be locked in litigation alone. [...] there is no such thing as a "human rights policy". On the other hand, defending and promoting them requires not only not ignoring judicial action but also building political and citizen action, which remains the best guarantor.
He will not see the FIDH centenary congress, in the preparation of which he had invested himself. We will miss him at this event, as we already miss him on a daily basis.
The LDH will pay a public tribute to him in the coming weeks.
We send our deepest condolences to his children, Emma and Lucas, and to all his family and friends.