No to the criminalization of solidarity, freedom for activists in Tunisia defending the rights of migrants and refugees!
18 December 2024
Since May 7, 2024, civic activists in Tunisia have been arrested and placed in pretrial detention. Their so-called crime? Engaging in lawful and transparent actions to assist migrants, often in direct collaboration with the state itself.
Tunisia has long been a crossroads of encounters and a haven of refuge. Yet today, this country of solidarity seems to be losing its way under the weight of multiple crises: geopolitical, economic, climatic, and social.
We, the #Peoples_of_the_South, are subjected to the most insidious forms of domination. Our regimes, often complicit, contribute to the plundering of our resources, the sell-off of our common goods, the impoverishment of productive systems, and the perpetuation of unequal exchange mechanisms and wars that devastate our lands.
These historical injustices, combined with the global crises of capitalism and climate change, exacerbate the suffering of our populations. Deportations, forced displacements, and migration to the North—viewed as a threat by Northern powers—are the direct consequences of these destructive systems. These migrations are, in truth, acts of survival and freedom by oppressed peoples.
The sovereignty of peoples, inseparable from their freedom, is today trampled by these oppressive systems. Reclaiming this sovereignty means not only defending our right to control our territories but also upholding the fundamental values of solidarity and hospitality that define our shared humanity.
In response, courageous Tunisian citizens have chosen solidarity over indifference. Yet today, their commitment is met with repression. These arrests aim not only to punish individuals but also to crush any movement of solidarity with vulnerable and mobile populations.
We call on African, Mediterranean, and global communities to mobilize and demand:
The immediate and unconditional release of imprisoned activists;
The recognition and protection of migrants’ rights;
The defense of peoples’ sovereignty, as an essential condition for guaranteeing their freedom and dignity;
A united struggle against systems of domination and exploitation, whether economic, environmental, or political.
Together, let us affirm our rejection of injustice and our commitment to human dignity. Let us raise our voices to ensure that solidarity -a universal value – is protected rather than punished.
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