Since July 2025, Tunisia has seen one of its darkest chapters since the revolution. The government has launched a brutal campaign against LGBT+ people and civil society organizations – arresting, silencing, and dismantling the few remaining spaces for freedom.

More than 70 LGBT+ people, most of them transgender women, have been arrested under so-called “morality” laws that punish same-sex intimacy and gender expression. At least 32 have already been sentenced to up to 3 years in prison. Many were detained simply for having condoms, private messages on dating apps, or clothes that didn’t fit the gender norms imposed by the state.

At the same time, authorities have suspended and threatened to dissolve some of Tunisia’s most respected human rights and feminist organizations – including the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD), the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), and independent media like Nawaat. These closures aim to silence activists, journalists, and anyone who dares to speak out.

This is not an isolated act of repression – it is a coordinated state policy to erase freedom of expression, crush independent voices, and terrorize LGBT+ communities. Damj, one of the few organizations still defending LGBT+ people in Tunisia, has declared a “Queer State of Emergency” to protect those most at risk.

We must act now to prevent further arrests, torture, and silencing of those fighting for equality. The world cannot stay silent while Tunisia destroys the last vestiges of its democracy.

Together, we can show Tunisia’s leaders that the world is watching – and that human rights are not up for negotiation.