Tunisia: Free refugee rights defenders now

In early May 2024, Tunisian authorities arrested Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi of the Tunisian Council for Refugees (CTR), a respected group that works with the UN Refugee Agency. They were detained and questioned solely for defending the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. This is part of a wider crackdown on groups supporting migrants and refugees. The authorities must release them immediately, drop all charges, and ensure human rights defenders can work freely and safely.

Here’s what you can do:

Write to the President of the Republic of Tunisia urging him to:

• Drop all charges against Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi and release them immediately.
• Ensure that, while in detention, they have urgent access to the medication they need.
• End the targeted arrests of human rights defenders.
• Guarantee that human rights defenders can work in a safe and enabling environment, free from reprisals.

Tunisia’s crackdown on refugee rights defenders

In May 2024, the Tunisian government intensified its campaign against refugees, migrants, and the organizations defending their rights. Human rights defenders Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi were among those arrested. They now face serious charges based on their legitimate humanitarian work. Their case highlights a growing pattern of repression and criminalization that must not be ignored.

Escalating attacks on civil society

In early May 2024, President Kais Saied publicly accused migration-related organizations of trying to “settle” migrants in Tunisia. He referred to them as “traitors” and “\[foreign] agents.” On May 6, he claimed that groups working with migrants were receiving money from abroad and promoting illegal presence in the country.

The next day, a Tunis prosecutor launched investigations into several associations for allegedly misusing funds to support irregular migrants. Authorities began summoning, arresting, and investigating leaders and former staff of at least 15 organizations. Ten human rights defenders and NGO workers were placed in arbitrary pre-trial detention on vague charges related to their legitimate activities.

Meanwhile, authorities also evicted refugees and migrants and prosecuted landlords for renting to them. This marked a sharp escalation in the erosion of migrant rights that began in February 2023, driven by racist rhetoric and discriminatory practices.

Targeting the Tunisian Council for Refugees

The Tunisian Council for Refugees (CTR), a well-known organization founded in 2016 and working with the UN Refugee Agency, was one of the first to be targeted. On May 2, 2024, the CTR published a tender seeking hotel accommodation for asylum seekers, following a request from the UNHCR and local authorities in Sfax. Shortly after, social media users and some media outlets circulated the tender, falsely claiming the CTR was helping “settle” African migrants in Tunisia. These claims often included racist and xenophobic language.

On May 3, police raided the CTR office in Tunis and arrested its director, Mustapha Djemali, an 80-year-old former senior UNHCR official. The next day, they arrested CTR project manager Abderrazek Krimi. Authorities interrogated them about the organization’s funding, its work with migrants, and the hotel tender.

Unfair detention and health risks

On May 7, a judge ordered their pre-trial detention under Tunisia’s 1975 law on passports and travel documents. They were charged with forming an organization to facilitate the illegal entry and sheltering of migrants. These vague charges fail to meet international legal standards and do not exclude humanitarian aid from prosecution, as required by UN protocols.

Their detention was renewed twice—in October 2024 and February 2025—and cannot legally be extended again. Despite this, the judge has denied at least four requests for their conditional release. He also froze their personal bank accounts and the CTR’s funds. A court-ordered financial review in March 2025 found no irregularities.

In court, the judge reportedly said: “You brought Black people into Tunisia illegally and you feed and shelter them. Tunisian history and laws will make you pay for it.” This alarming statement casts serious doubt on his impartiality.

Both men’s health is at risk in detention. Mustapha Djemali suffers from Horton’s disease and has not received his required medication since September 2024. Prison authorities have refused to provide it or allow his family to deliver it. They’ve also denied his family permission to repair his broken glasses. Abderrazek Krimi has not been given access to a medical prescription he urgently needs.

Please take action as soon as possible until November 10, 2025. The UA will be duly updated should there be the need for further action.