UPDATE: On February 19, 2025, prominent Tunisian human rights defender Sihem Bensedrine was released. The Tunis Court of appeals approved a request for her provisional release and put her under a travel ban.
On January 14, 2025, the 14th anniversary of the Tunisian revolution, prominent human rights defender, Sihem Bensedrine, announced an open-ended hunger strike to protest her arbitrary detention since August 2024 solely for exercising her human rights. On January 26, she was hospitalized due to health complications. On January 28, her lawyers learned that a Tunis investigative judge has extended her pre-trial detention for another four months on charges of “fraud”, “forgery”, and “abuse of official capacity” in relation to her role exposing alleged corruption as President of the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD). Authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Sihem Bensedrine, drop all the charges against her and end the misuse of the criminal justice system to target her.
Please pause all actions on the case of Sihem Bensedrine until further notice
Your Excellency,
I am writing to express my concern over the ongoing arbitrary detention of prominent human rights defender, Sihem Bensedrine, who has been held in arbitrary detention since her arrest on August 1, 2024. On January 14, 2025, Sihem announced an open-ended hunger strike to protest her arbitrary detentionShe is detained solely in relation to her work as President of the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD) from 2014 to 2018.
Since Sihem started her hunger strike, her health, which was already vulnerable due to pre-existing health conditions, has rapidly deteriorated.
I urge you to immediately and unconditionally release Sihem Bensedrine, drop all the charges against her, and end the misuse of the criminal justice system to target her. Pending her release, she must be granted adequate access to qualified health professionals. Ensure she also has access to her family, lawyers and is held in conditions that comply with international standards.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
Other Urgent Actions for this Case
- First UA Issued: [UA 76.24]
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