Tunisians jailed for protesting state-owned chemical plant

Citizens in Gabès, a city in southern Tunisia, have been protesting to demand the shutdown of a state-owned chemical plant. On the night of October 18th, more than 70 Tunisians were arrested during demonstrations, according to Jeune Afrique via AFP.

Khayreddine Debaya, a coordinator with the Stop Pollution association, confirmed the arrests and added that many more demonstrators were detained between October 18th and 19th, including several taken from their homes by Tunisian authorities.

A Tunisian lawyer, Mehdi Talmoudi, clarified that the crackdown targeted the night protesters, not the ones who were present during the peaceful daytime demonstrations. During the night protests, Tunisians reportedly set fire to car wheels and clashed with Tunisian police forces to express their frustration over the state’s disregard for the crumbling plant.

It’s worth noting that while Gabès residents were mobilising to assert the right to breathe purer air in their city, police forces tried to disperse them by using tear gas that suffocated them, according to France 24 via AFP.

The Groupe Chimique Tunisien (CGT) has been heavily criticised by the local population of Gabès for decades due to CGT’s pollution spills of highly toxic and radioactive chemicals that have harmed the region’s ecosystems and the residents’ health.

Since September 9th, more than 200 Tunisians have been poisoned by gas leaks coming from the phosphate plant, with the most recent occurrence harming 69 pupils in their classrooms.

The poisoning of the schoolchildren caused an uproar that led even more Tunisians to take to the streets to express their disapproval of the government’s plans to resume the plant’s activities and to condemn how the plant’s mismanagement and lack of maintenance has degraded the ageing CGT facility.

While the Tunisian authorities promised in 2017 that the chemical plant would be dismantled to build a modern facility that adheres to international standards, President Kais Saied decided otherwise.

Phosphate is the North African country’s largest natural resource and its economy heavily relies on it. Critics argue Saied prioritised economic development over public safety by planning to quintuple the plant’s chemical production by 2030 – a move he hopes will boost the state’s revenues by betting on the recent international increase in fertiliser prices.

While previously aware of the risks of the plant’s activities, the President stated on October 17th during a meeting with two parliament officials that they were constantly assessing the situation and working towards swift solutions to resolve the environmental damages and pollution, according to Mosaïque FM.

Nonetheless, Saied has reportedly employed his familiar tactic of casting doubt on people’s true intentions to justify dismissals. He urged the residents of Gabès and local police forces to unite against those allegedly attempting to exploit the environmental situation for personal gain, and to remain vigilant against so-called state conspirators who were reportedly funded by foreign sources to voice their opinions.

The leader’s government previously used a similar rhetoric to arrest various political opponents and organised trials deemed as “unfair” by France under the pretext of conspiring against the state with the intent to overthrow and assassinate Saied.

Human Rights Watch has denounced the government’s unfair judiciary proceedings, calling for the release of the detainees and for a halt on the mass arrests of political opponents under the guise of the 2015 anti-terrorism law that was not meant for political persecution.

While Saied has promised that his cabinet is working to address the environmental crisis as quickly as possible – despite his previous push to increase production and his awareness of the associated risks – there is hope that those speaking out against the state’s mismanagement of the plant will not face persecution by Tunisian authorities.

Jeune Afrique via AFP, France 24 via AFP, Mosaïque FM, Maghrebi.org, Human Rights Watch