Statement of Support for Activist Saadia Mosbah
342 Days of Arbitrary Detention

The associations and organizations signing below express their complete support and unconditional solidarity with activist Saadia Mosbah, who has been arbitrarily detained since May 7, 2024, without any clear charges, in a blatant violation of legal procedures and constitutional guarantees. This detention comes as part of a systematic campaign targeting civil society organizations, following a political decision made after a meeting of the National Security Council.

Saadia Mosbah has dedicated her life to fighting racism and defending the rights of Tunisians, Black people, and victims of racial discrimination, aiming to break down stereotypes and establish values of equality and dignity within Tunisian society, without any form of discrimination.

Together with other activists, Saadia co-founded the “Minamti” association, a space dedicated to raising awareness and demanding justice against all forms of racial discrimination and hate speech. She has been one of the prominent voices calling for the recognition of the slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity, and she played an active role with civil society groups in enacting Law No. 50 of 2018, which seeks to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination in Tunisia.

Not content with solely engaging in legal and institutional struggle, Saadia Mosbah has also been a clear voice against inciting rhetoric and racism directed at migrants, as well as against the discrimination faced daily by Black Tunisians in everyday life, the media, and public policies.

Today, despite harsh prison conditions, Saadia Mosbah resists with unwavering determination—a fighter’s spirit that remains unbroken, true to her militant path, convinced of the justice of her cause and rejecting every form of abuse, harassment, and political targeting.

Today, this militant journey is being deliberately distorted and undermined through the criminalization of civil action and the erosion of free spaces that were established through long struggles and years of field and human rights work.

With pride in what activist Saadia Mosbah and her colleagues have achieved in the fight for rights and freedoms, we call for her immediate release and for an end to all forms of persecution, harassment, and demonization against her and the civil society activists. We reaffirm our commitment to the principles of freedom of association and the right of every activist to defend just causes without threat or stigmatization.

History will vindicate the struggles of Saadia Mosbah, and all those who have been and will be unjustly detained for defending human dignity. Solidarity will prevail, as will freedom, equality, and justice.

Accordingly, we demand: