TAKE ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS ON TRIAL

Tunisia UA 45.25

On November 24, 2025, human rights defenders Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Kilani will face criminal trial before the Tunis Court of First Instance, along with four others. Mustapha Djemali, founder and director of the Tunisian Council for Refugees (CTR) and Abderrazek Krimi, CTR project manager, have been in arbitrary pre-trial detention since their arrest in May 2024 solely based on carrying out their legitimate work and exercising their right to freedom of association. The CTR, a Tunisian organization and implementing partner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), provided essential assistance to refugees and asylum seekers in Tunisia. Authorities must ensure that human rights defenders are able to freely carry out their work in a safe and enabling environment without any reprisals.

Call on the Tunisian President to immediately release Mustapha Djemali and & Abderrazek Krimi and drop all charges against them - send your email using our email-writing tool.

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The President of Tunisia

Kais

Saied

The President of Tunisia

Your Excellency,

I am concerned over the prosecution of human rights defenders Mustapha Djemali and Abderazzek Krimi whose trial opened on October 16 with their next hearing scheduled for November 24, 2025. They are facing unfounded charges of “forming an organization” to “assist the clandestine entry” of migrants into Tunisia and “providing them shelter”, offenses that carry up to 13 years in prison.

During the first court hearing on October 16, the lawyers of Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi defended their clients’ legitimate work and asked for their provisional release, a request which the judge refused. The lawyers also requested to summon UNHCR as a witness to confirm that CTR activities were in line with the cooperation agreement between Tunisia and UNHCR which the judge also refused. The charges against Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi are based solely on the peaceful exercise of their human rights and their legitimate work at the Tunisian Council of Refugees (Conseil Tunisien pour les Refugies – CTR).

I therefore urge you to ensure the immediate release of Mustapha Djemali and Abderrazek Krimi and that all charges against them are dropped. I also call on you to immediately cease targeted arrests of human rights defenders and allow them to freely carry out their human rights work.

Yours sincerely,

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