On the occasion of Abdallah Saïd's appearance before the Medenine Court of First Instance on February 3, the Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia (CRLDHT) expresses its full solidarity with human rights defender Abdallah Saïd, a special education teacher at the Ministry of Public Health, community activist, and recognized figure in the humanitarian and social fields in Medenine.

For more than thirty years, Abdallah Saïd has devoted his life to supporting vulnerable people, particularly those with disabilities, children, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. As founder and president of the Association Enfants de la Lune in Médenine, he and his teams have developed a wide range of initiatives: psychosocial support, medical assistance, literacy programs, support for children who have dropped out of school, vocational training, support for women's economic empowerment, and the provision of a community space open to many local organizations. These activities have been carried out transparently, in compliance with the laws in force, often in coordination with local authorities and in partnership with national and international institutions.

On November 12, 2024, Abdallah Saïd was arrested by Tunisian security forces and placed in custody at the National Unit for the Investigation of Complex Financial Crimes, without being notified of any specific charges. Five days later, his case was transferred to the judicial counterterrorism unit, which expressly noted the absence of any evidence of terrorism and decided to refer the case to the public prosecutor at the court of first instance in Medenine.

Despite this acknowledged lack of terrorist grounds, Abdallah Saïd has been held in detention for more than 445 days. Initially, he was charged with extremely serious offenses, such as alleged attacks on state security, conspiracy against internal and external security, and charges related to suspicious financing. These politically charged accusations were then gradually dropped and replaced by financial charges, without any conclusive evidence being made public.

The charges against him are directly linked to his community work: providing humanitarian assistance to migrants and refugees, managing social support projects, raising donations, partnering with national and international organizations, and supporting vulnerable people. In other words, acts of solidarity and humanitarian action, which are protected by Tunisian and international law, are being used to justify his continued detention.

At the same time, Abdallah Saïd has been the target of smear campaigns, racist attacks, and hate speech on social media, in a political context marked by growing stigmatization of migrants and a clear desire to discourage any form of solidarity with them.

The Abdallah Saïd case is part of a broader trend of criminalizing community work and cracking down on human rights defenders, especially those working in the areas of migration, anti-discrimination, and social justice. It constitutes a serious violation of the principles of legality, presumption of innocence, proportionality of prosecution, and the right to a fair trial.

Consequently, the Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia:

• Expresses its full and unconditional solidarity with Abdallah Saïd and his family;
• Condemns his arbitrary arrest and detention for more than 445 days;
• Asserts that the legal proceedings brought against him are part of a policy of criminalizing solidarity and civil action;
• Demands his immediate release and the dismissal of all charges against him;
• Calls for an end to all forms of judicial and administrative harassment against human rights defenders and civil society organizations.

Solidarity is not a crime.
Humanitarian action is not a crime.
Defending human dignity is not a crime.

All our support goes to Abdallah Saïd.

Paris, February 2, 2026