Tunisia: No to the criminalisation of solidarity with migrants
Topic
Country/Region
25 November 2024
Dozens of organisations and individuals, including Statewatch, are demanding the release of individuals detained by Tunisian authorities for their work supporting migrants and refugees. The call comes in response to the recent arrest and detention of Abdallah Said, whose organisation, Les Enfants de la Lune, cares for disabled Tunisian and non-Tunisian children. His arrest is the latest incident in "a troubling trend of criminalizing solidarity in Tunisia, which has intensified since May 2024," says a joint statement.
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Image: CRLDHT
Call for solidarity with Abdallah Said
On November 12, 2024, Abdallah Said, activist and president of the Enfants de la Lune association in Médenine , was placed in police custody by the Tunisian financial investigation unit. After a long interrogation, the charges against him remain unclear, but they appear to be mainly related to his humanitarian work supporting refugee, migrant, and abandoned children in the Médenine region.
This event is part of a troubling trend of criminalizing solidarity in Tunisia, which has intensified since May 2024. At that time, repression targeted several prominent figures and humanitarian organizations supporting migrants, including the arrest of Saadia Mosbah, president of the Mnemty association, and Sherifa Riahi, former director of Tunisie Terre d’Asile, as well as members of the Tunisian Refugee Council and other activists linked to solidarity with migrants*. These arrests reflect an authoritarian shift aimed at silencing criticism of government policies and humanitarian aid for sub-Saharan migrants.
This repression coincided with hate campaigns and racist rhetoric, fueled by official statements at the highest levels of the state, describing sub-Saharan migrants as a "threat" to Tunisia’s national identity. This rhetoric had devastating consequences: forced expulsions, collective deportations to the Libyan desert, and targeted repression against those opposing these racist and inhumane practices.
Abdallah Said: A new example of the criminalization of solidarity
Abdallah Said, a Tunisian citizen of Chadian origin, has been advocating for human rights and the protection of migrant and refugee children for years. Through his association Les Enfants de la Lune, he has always cared for both Tunisian disabled children and migrants. His only “crime” is his commitment to the most vulnerable, strictly following Tunisian law, with both local and international recognition.
His arrest is yet another example of a repressive strategy targeting those defending human rights and supporting migrants. This policy, introduced in Tunisia under the pretext of a fabricated "migrant emergency", has led to arbitrary arrests*, hate campaigns on social media, and growing criminalization of humanitarian organizations’ work.
We emphasize the political nature of Abdallah Said’s arrest, which contradicts Tunisia’s international commitments. We demand:
- The immediate release of Abdallah Said and all those detained for their humanitarian work*.
- An end to persecution against organizations and individuals showing solidarity with migrants.
- Respect for human rights, dignity, and international legal standards, especially towards refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants.
We call on all Maghreb, French, European, and international organizations that share the values of solidarity and human rights to denounce this repressive drift and to actively support those like Abdallah Said, who are persecuted for their solidarity with migrants.
Dignity for refugees, migrants.
*Sherifa Riahi, former director of "Terre d’Asile Tunisia" (2016-2021/2022), was placed in police custody on May 8, 2024, on suspicion of money laundering. Following this, two other people were arrested in connection with the same case: Iyadh Bousselmi, the current director of "Terre d’Asile Tunisia", and Mohamed Jouou, financial officer.
*Saadia Mosbah, an anti-racist activist and president of Mnemty, was arrested in early May 2024 and charged with money laundering, in the context of a crackdown on critical associations.
*Mustafa Jamali, president of the Tunisian Refugee Council, and Abdelrazek Krimi, project manager within the same council, were arrested in May 2023, accused of illegally sheltering foreigners and receiving foreign funding.
*Abdallah Said, founder of "Les Enfants de la Lune", was arrested on November 12, 2024, and transferred to the anti-terrorism unit, accused of receiving foreign funds to assist migrants. (Two other association leaders were also arrested).
First signatories:
International organizations
Migreurop
Euromed Rights
Fédération Internationale des droits de l’Homme (FIDH)
Réseau Euromed France (REF)
Coordination maghrébine des organisations de droit de l’Homme (CMODH)
Unions
Confédération générale du Travail (CGT)
Confédération française démocratique du travail (CFDT)
Fédération syndicale unitaire (FSU)
Union nationale des syndicats autonomes (UNSA)
Union syndicale solidaires (SUD)
Maghreb, French, European, and international organizations
Action Jeunesse – Morocco
Association of Citizens of Turkish Origin (ACORT)
Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Morocco (ASDHOM)
Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH)
Moroccan Association of Moroccans in France (AMF)
N’aoura Association – Brussels
Association of Central African Deportees in Mali (ARACEM) – Mali
Maghreb Workers Association of France (ATMF)
French Doctors for Nuclear War Prevention (AMFPGN) (member of IPPNW, Nobel Peace Prize)
Asociazione Ricreativa Culturale Italiana - Italian Recreational and Cultural Association (ARCI) – Italy
Aswat Media Network – Libya
Attac France
Cédetim / IPAM
The Centre for Peace Studies – Zagreb
Lixus Centre for Young Researchers – Morocco
International Coalition of Stateless and Migrants (CISPM)
Collective of Sub-Saharan Communities in Morocco (CCSM)
Collective Without Papers 75 (CSP-75)
Collective Association for Election Observations (CAOE) – Morocco
Regional Cooperation North-South Collective – Hauts de France (CORENS)
Committee for the Defence of Algerian Human Rights League (CS-LADDH) – Algeria
Belgian National Centre for Cooperation and Development (CNCD-11.11.11)
Right to Housing (DAL)
Right Here and There (DIEL)
Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
E-joussour Maghreb/Mashrek Civil Society Portal – Morocco
Ensemble Vivre Travailler et Coopérer – Saint Denis (EVTC)
Plurielles Women
Copernicus Foundation
Frantz Fanon Foundation (FFF)
Forum for Alternatives Morocco (FMAS) – Morocco
France-Algeria Forum (FFA)
France Fraternity (FF)
Information and Support Group for Immigrants (GISTI)
HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement in the MENA
Iridia Centre for Human Rights Defence – Barcelona, Spain
Human Rights League (LDH)
KISA – Cyprus
Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP)
New Woman Foundation – Egypt
Moroccan Observatory of Public Liberties (OMLP) – Morocco
Moroccan Observatory for Social Protection – Morocco
Organisation for Freedom of Information and Expression (OLIE) Hatim – Morocco
People in Need, Czech Republic
For a Democratic Alternative in Algeria (PADA)
Feminist Network "Ruptures"
International Response (RI)
Statewatch – London, UK
SOS Migrants – Belgium
SOS Racism
Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) – Libya
Political parties
Europe écologie les verts (EELV)
Ensemble
Pour une Ecologie Sociale et Populaire (PEPS)
NPA -l’Anticapitaliste
Individuals
Pierre Khalfa, economist
Michelle Guerci, journalist, anti-racist feminist activist
Coordination
CRLDHT – FTCR – ADTF – UTIT
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