Open letter to Mr. Gerald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior Affairs of France : The fight against salafist jihadist terrorism must be carried out with respect for the rights of Tunisians and migrants.
Mr. Minister of the Interior of France,
On the occasion of your visit to Tunisia scheduled for today, Friday, November 6, 2020, we Tunisian democratic associations and organizations sign this open letter,
Reaffirm our absolute denunciation of the horrific attacks committed in Nice and Vienna against innocent people by terrorists claiming to be Salafist Jihadist terrorists and we join their families and loved ones in their grief and offer our sincere condolences.
Declare our absolute rejection of terrorism and complacent or justifying rhetoric, as well as our commitment to the universal values of human rights, democracy and freedom and to just cooperative relations with peace-loving countries and peoples.
We consider that the principles of Human Rights are universal and we declare with the same determination our rejection of all hate speech propagated by certain European leaders, political forces and media against migrants and unacceptable amalgamations aimed at making Muslim populations or presumed to be responsible and guilty.
We reject the political pressure against the Tunisian government and the governments of the South by certain European governments that take advantage of the terrorists’ appalling crimes to get rid of undocumented migrants in defiance of the law and justice.
We reject the recent agreement by the Italian authorities generalizing the collective forced return to the detriment of Italy’s own legislation.
Your next visit to Tunisia is fraught with threats against Tunisian migrants in France and particularly those awaiting regularization. This must not result in new measures that violate human rights and international conventions protecting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
We therefore proclaim :
1. That the imperative need to combat Salafist jihadist terrorism must be carried out with respect for the law, democracy and liberties, giving a large place to education, to the dissemination and respect of the universal values of human rights, of the principles of living together and in respect of the peaceful rules of just and equitable cooperation, especially in the Mediterranean basin.
2. The rejection of the use of Salafist jihadist terrorist attacks to put pressure on the Tunisian government to accept the massive increase in forced collective returns of migrants and the opening of detention centers in Tunisia.
3. The rejection of any desire for collective punishment against Tunisian migrants, particularly undocumented migrants, by reinforcing forced collective expulsions from Italy or France.
4. Our request to the Tunisian government to refuse the signature of any new agreement in the current context that would jeopardize the rights of Tunisian migrants or the right to free movement of persons.
- Association Arts et Cultures des deux Rives (ACDR)
- Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche sur le Développement (AFTURD)
- Association Mnemty
- ‘association Nachaz-Dissonances
- Association Shams
- Association Tunisienne de l’Action Culturelle (ATAC)
- Association Tunisienne de Défense des Libertés Individuelles
- Association Tunisienne de Défense des Valeurs Universitaires (ATDVU)
- Association Tunisienne des Etudes sur le Genre
- Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates (ATFD)
- Association Tunisienne de Soutien des Minorités (ATSM)
- Association Création et Créativité pour le Développement et l’Embauche (CCDE)
- Association Citoyenneté, Développement, Cultures et migrations des deux Rives (CDCMIR)
- Association Vigilance pour la Démocratie et l’Etat civique
- Beity
- Coalition Tunisienne Contre la peine de mort
- Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme en Tunisie (CRLDHT)
- EuroMed Droits
- Fédération des Tunisiens pour une Citoyenneté des deux Rives (FTCR)
- Forum Tunisien pour les Droits Economique et Sociaux (FTDES)
- Organisation Contre la Torture en Tunisie
- Tunisian Forum For Youth Empowerment (TFYE)
- Union des Tunisiens pour l’Action Citoyenne (UTAC)
- Association terre pour tous
- Association Nomad 08