/ / TUNISIA: WOMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER FACING BOGUS CHARGES

TUNISIA: WOMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER FACING BOGUS CHARGES

UA: 24.26

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French Tunisian human rights defender Saloua Ghrissa, executive director of the Association for the Promotion of the Right to Difference (ADD), is facing a criminal trial along with seven other staff and members of the association. They are being prosecuted on unfounded financial, criminal, and other charges stemming from their human rights work. On March 19, 2026, Tunisian authorities granted Saloua Ghrissa’s request for provisional release after she spent more than 15 months in arbitrary pretrial detention. She was arrested in December 2024 amid a broader crackdown on civil society. Tunisian authorities must immediately drop all charges against Saloua Ghrissa and her co-defendants. The next hearing in their case is scheduled for April 30, 2026.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: September 30, 2026

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Step 1

READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION

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You can now write a letter in your own words or download the sample below as a guide.

Remember to send your letter by September 30, 2026.

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Sample Letter

Your Excellency,

I urge you to ensure that all the charges brought against woman human rights defender Saloua Ghrissa and her colleagues are dropped. Saloua Ghrissa is the executive director of the Association for the Promotion of the Right to Difference (ADD) – a Tunisian association founded in 2011 to defend minority rights.

Saloua Ghrissa, along with four other staff and three members of the ADD, is facing a criminal trial before the Bizerte Court of First Instance on unfounded financial and other charges. These charges infringe on their rights to freedom of expression and association, as well as their right to defend human rights. The next hearing in their case is scheduled for April 30, 2026.

I welcome Saloua Ghrissa’s release from prison after more than 15 months of arbitrary pretrial detention. However, she continues to be prosecuted alongside other ADD staff and members on charges of money laundering and violations of currency exchange regulations. These charges are unsubstantiated and rest on vague allegations of so-called “suspicious” foreign funding.

I again urge you to ensure that all charges against Saloua Ghrissa and the seven other ADD staff and members are immediately dropped. I also call on you to put an end to the arbitrary arrests and prosecutions of human rights defenders and civil society workers in Tunisia.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

Sample Social Post

I urge @TnPresidency to drop all unfounded charges against human rights defender Saloua Ghrissa and 7 ADD colleagues. Ongoing prosecution over vague claims violates freedom of expression and association. #UrgentActionNetwork

Send a Tweet to @TnPresidency

Step 2

Send your message

Email your letter to the government officials listed below. You can also post about them on social media.

Send your letter to:

President of the Republic Kais Saied

Route de la Goulette

Site archéologique de Carthage, Tunisie

[email protected] @TnPresidency

and

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Mohamed Ali Nafti

[email protected]

and

Ministry of Justice

Leila Jaffel

[email protected]

and

CC: Tunisian Embassy in the United States, Ambassador Hanene Al-Tajouri Bessassi

Send a copy of your letter to the address below

1515 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,

Washington DC 20005

[email protected]

When writing your letter, don’t forget to be factual, brief, and show respect. See more letter writing tips and emails, or organize and host a letter writing party.

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