Press Release
The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented the arrest of students Adam Hammami and Diya Hamdi, activists in the Tunisian campaign to boycott and oppose normalization, on September 21, 2024, in the Sfax Governorate. The committee reported that the students were detained due to their participation in a protest against companies accused of supporting the Israeli occupation, where they had written slogans on public walls condemning the violence in Gaza and opposing normalization, expressing their rejection of these companies.
The security authorities took Hammami and Hamdi to a police station for questioning, where their mobile phones were thoroughly searched without the presence of a lawyer, which constitutes a violation of their legal rights and a breach of fair trial guarantees.
During the search, police found an image on Diya Hamdi’s phone of a mural by the artist Rachad Tamboura. This led to an additional charge against both of them for “committing an offensive act against the President of the Republic” under Article 67 of the Penal Code.
Authorities continued to question the students about the details of their activism and their possession of certain materials, a form of intimidation aimed at deterring them from exercising their right to expression and civil action. Following the interrogation, the activists were released but were scheduled for a trial at the Primary Court in Bab Bhar, Sfax, on October 31, 2024. The students were also summoned again for further questioning based on evidence related to their opinions and human rights activities.
CFJ asserts that these charges represent a clear violation of the activists’ civil and political rights, arguing that their actions fall within their legitimate right to express opinions as guaranteed by Tunisia’s 2022 Constitution, which protects in Article 42 the right to assembly and peaceful protest for all citizens. This right is also upheld by international covenants signed by Tunisia, including Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression.
The committee expresses its concern about the increasing frequency of such trials and detentions targeting activists for their civil activities and political opinions, viewing this escalation as a setback for civil and political freedoms in Tunisia and an attempt to silence dissenting voices and suppress human rights activism in the country.
Additionally, CFJ rejects the charges against the two students, calling for an end to their prosecution, the dismissal of charges, and for their right to engage in peaceful and lawful activism.
