Meeting in Paris, the Board of Directors of the Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits de l'Homme en Tunisie (CRLDHT) expresses its total solidarity with the citizens of Gabès, who have been mobilizing for several days to defend their right to life, health and a healthy environment.
The environmental and health catastrophe caused by the recurrent leakage of toxic gases from the Tunisian Chemical Complex, resulting in dozens of cases of asphyxiation among children and local residents, constitutes a serious violation of fundamental rights and a clear failure of public responsibility.
For years, citizens', trade union and environmental movements in Gabès have been warning of the dangers of industrial pollution and calling for the implementation of official commitments, in particular the dismantling of polluting units decided by the government in June 2017.
Faced with this dramatic situation, the authorities persist in silence, repression and inaction, preferring to protect economic interests to the detriment of people's health and the preservation of the territory.
The CRLDHT :
- salutes the courage and determination of the people of Gabès, who are peacefully defending their most basic rights;
- calls for the immediate release of all those arrested during the demonstrations;
- strongly condemns the use of force, repression and tear gas against peaceful demonstrators;
- calls on the Tunisian authorities to fully assume their responsibilities, to immediately suspend the activities of the polluting units, and to open a transparent and inclusive dialogue with the representatives of civil society, workers, fishermen and farmers in the region;
- invites Tunisia's international partners to support the efforts of local organizations to promote a model of development that is sustainable, fair and respectful of human rights.
The CRLDHT, true to its mission of defending freedoms and human dignity, will continue to support citizen and ecological mobilizations fighting against the slow death imposed by pollution, for a Tunisia of justice, life and freedom.
Paris, October 12, 2025
