Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms expresses its full support and unconditional solidarity with Biblio’Thé, an independent cultural space that, since its establishment, has played a pivotal role in stimulating the local cultural scene and creating an alternative space for artistic and intellectual expression, open to all cultural and civic actors.

While the association praises the efforts exerted by those in charge of this space to promote the culture of dialogue and creativity, it strongly condemns the repeated security harassment to which “Biblio’Thé” is subjected, most recently the refusal to organize a musical activity inside the café without providing any legal justification, which comes within a series of previous violations, including the prevention of organizing activities suspected of being political, as well as the closure of the café during the month of Ramadan, a move that can only be interpreted as an arbitrary and repressive measure without any clear legal basis

The association warns of the gravity of these practices that affect the essence of individual and collective rights and freedoms, foremost of which is the right to freedom of expression and thought, guaranteed by Article 31 of the Tunisian Constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the right to freedom of peaceful assembly (as stated in Article 37 of the Tunisian Constitution and Article 21 of the same Covenant), and the right to participate in cultural life, according to Article 42 of the Tunisian Constitution and Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

The targeting of independent cultural spaces and the imposition of undeclared censorship on them is a serious indicator of the decline of freedoms in the country and an attempt to reintroduce the mentality of trusteeship and police control over civil and artistic initiatives, in blatant violation of the Tunisian state’s obligations under its constitution and the human rights conventions it has ratified

Accordingly,  Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms calls on the Tunisian authorities to immediately withdraw all forms of restrictions against independent cultural spaces, and to guarantee their right to operate in complete freedom without interference or prior censorship

In addition, cultural and civil actors should be able to organize artistic, cultural, and even political activities, in conformity with the rights guaranteed by the law and international conventions

The Association also calls for a transparent and effective dialogue between the state and the cultural and civil society on guarantees of cultural freedoms and freedom of assembly and organization

Culture is not a crime, it is a fundamental right, and no future can be built without free, independent, and pluralistic spaces that open the door to dialogue and debate, and listen to all different voices