The Tunis Court of First Instance in Tunisia convicted human rights defenders Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi but released them after they had already spent over 18 months in arbitrary detention. Their prolonged detention and subsequent conviction sparked outrage, as both had been carrying out humanitarian work with the Tunisian Council for Refugees (CTR), providing essential support to refugees and asylum seekers in collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Tunisian authorities. Amnesty International described the criminal investigation and charges as baseless, highlighting that their work should never have been criminalized.
The charges, which included “forming an organization” to allegedly “assist the clandestine entry” of migrants, were widely criticized as a misuse of anti-smuggling laws aimed at stifling civil society. Amnesty International emphasized that this case sends a chilling message to human rights defenders and NGOs in Tunisia, suggesting that individuals risk arrest or imprisonment merely for fulfilling their humanitarian mandate.
Amnesty International noted that this case reflects a broader pattern of repression in Tunisia, including arbitrary arrests, racially discriminatory practices, and xenophobic rhetoric, which collectively undermine the rights of civil society actors, refugees, and migrants. The organization called on Tunisian authorities to quash the convictions and respect international human rights obligations, including the rights to freedom of association and expression, to allow human rights defenders to operate without fear of retaliation.
Mustapha Djemali, aged 81, and Abderrazek Krimi, aged 61, had been arrested in May 2024. On 24 November 2025, they were sentenced to two years in prison, with the remainder of their sentence suspended in recognition of the 18 months already served. Three other CTR staff on trial were acquitted, and a fourth employee is awaiting the outcome of an appeal. The case highlights Tunisia’s escalating crackdown on independent NGOs and human rights defenders, which has included arbitrary arrests, detention, asset freezes, bank restrictions, and court-ordered suspensions.
