Aix-Marseille University has called for the release of its PhD student, Victor Dupont, who was detained in Tunisia on charges of breaching state security.
Dupont, who was arrested on 19 October in Tunis, had been conducting sociological research on the 2011 Tunisian protests, aiming to study social and career trajectories of participants.
Vincent Geisser, director of Aix-Marseille’s French Institute of Research and Study on the Arab and Islamic Worlds, described the arrest as “an attack on academic freedom” and criticised the handling of Dupont’s case, noting he was brought before a military judge on the day of his arrest – an “exceptional” measure.
Dupont’s detention only recently became public knowledge as his family, with support from the French embassy, sought his release privately.
His parents, now in Tunis, have formed a support committee to press for his freedom.
Dupont’s arrest follows Tunisia’s crackdown on activists, which rights groups like Amnesty International say has intensified under President Kais Saied’s administration.
Human rights advocates have voiced concerns over deteriorating civil liberties in the country, fearing that Tunisia’s democratic gains from the Arab Spring are under threat.
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