13 September 2024. Tunisia must not be abandoned to dictatorship and economic misery. Tunisian civil society is now facing a wave of authoritarianism not seen since 14 years and is in dire need of a surge of international solidarity. Human rights violations, whether against dissenting voices or against sub-Saharan migrants, must be denounced on the global stage. Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed, who came to power through an institutional coup in 2021, must not run for re-election in the upcoming election on 6 October 2024, without challenge.
In Tunisia, hundreds of opponents, activists, judges, and journalists are being harassed, arrested, and imprisoned for mere opinions. Nearly all presidential candidates have been disqualified, intimidated, and sometimes even arrested. In response to this alarming escalation, FIDH announces the creation of an international support committee for freedoms in Tunisia. Composed of 20 members from 13 countries, they are human rights defenders, lawyers, writers, professors, researchers, and activists. Together they are calling for free and transparent elections, the release of all unjustly detained individuals, and an end to all repressive measures against Tunisian society.
"It is our duty to raise the alarm about the situation in Tunisia," declared Yosra Frawes, head of the FIDH’s Maghreb and Middle East office. "By creating this committee, we aim to spark a movement of international solidarity in support of Tunisian civil society which is still courageously fighting for justice and freedom. We refuse to witness the stifling of the dream of democracy in the Arab world right under our eyes—and sometimes with the assistance—of traditional democracies. These same democracies are trading their values for migratory agreements, which is an unacceptable use of their influence in Tunisia."
The mission of this committee will be to amplify the calls of Tunisian human rights organisations, assess the rollback of freedoms, and provide recommendations to the Tunisian government and its international partners. It aims to strengthen the legitimate fight of Tunisians to reclaim democratic space and restore the rule of law in Tunisia. Among its members are notable figures such as Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Patrick Baudouin, lawyer and former president of the French Human Rights League (LDH), Leila Shahid, former Palestinian ambassador to the European Union, Alexis Deswaef, lawyer and vice-president of the FIDH, and Pinar Selek, Franco-Turkish antimilitarist and eco-feminist.
This committee aligns with the aspirations and demands of the 2010-2011 revolution, which called for greater social justice, equality, freedoms, dynamism, and opportunities for women and youth.
Here is the complete list of the committee members:
– Zakaria Abdillahi: Lawyer, President of the Djiboutian Human Rights League, former magistrate and Vice President of FIDH, Djibouti.
– Gilbert Achcar: Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Lebanon.
– Rasmus Alenius Boserup: Executive Director of the EuroMed Rights Network, former Research Director at the Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark.
– Wadie Asmar: President of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights and President of EuroMed Rights, Lebanon.
– Patrick Baudouin: Lawyer and former President of the French Human Rights League, Honorary President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), France.
– Joel Beinin: Professor of History and Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern History at Stanford University, United States of America.
– Mostefa Bouchachi: Lawyer, politician, and President of the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights from 2007 to 2012, Algeria.
– Raffaella Bolini: Leader of the large Italian association Arci and member of the International Council of the World Social Forum (WSF), Italy.
– Alexis Deswaef: Lawyer, former President of the Belgian Human Rights League and Vice President of FIDH, Belgium.
– Shirin Ebadi: Lawyer, former judge, and human rights activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2003, Iran.
– Kamal Lahbib: Executive Secretary of the Forum of Alternatives Morocco, founding member of the Truth and Justice Forum, the Associative Space, and the National Prison Observatory, Morocco.
– Gustave Massiah: Engineer and economist, member of the Center for Studies and Initiatives of International Solidarity (CEDETIM), France.
– Alice Mogwe: President of FIDH, founder and director of Ditshwanelo, the Center for Human Rights in Botswana, Botswana.
– Aissa Rahmoune: Secretary General of FIDH, activist of the Algerian League for Human Rights, Algeria.
– Khadija Riadi: Human rights activist, President of the Maghreb Coordination of Human Rights Organizations, Morocco.
– Pinar Selek: Sociologist, lecturer at the University of Nice Côte d’Azur, storyteller, writer, and Franco-Turkish antimilitarist and eco-feminist activist, Turkey-France.
– Leïla Shahid: Former Palestinian Ambassador to the EU and former General Delegate of Palestine to France, Palestine.
– Giovanna Tanzarella: Head of the Popular University and civil society actress in the Mediterranean, Italy.
– Marie-Christine Vergiat: Jurist, activist, and French politician, Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2019, France.