‘Many in the education sector are deeply concerned about academic freedoms in Tunisia.’ [GETTY]
Last October, French doctoral candidate Victor Dupont was arrested in Tunisia, for “undermining state security.” The 27-year-old student, attached to the Aix-Marseille University and the European Research Council, arrived in Tunisia about ten days prior to conduct interviews on the socio-professional trajectory of ‘people who may have been involved in the 2011 revolution.’
On the day of his arrest, Dupont was planning on visiting Cap Bon with his friends, but when they arrived in front of the apartment he’d rented, they found him pinned against the wall. This arrest doesn’t come as a surprise given the increasingly authoritarian environment in a country where journalists, academics and activists are being forced to choose their words carefully if they wish to protest their freedom.
Vincent Geisser, director of the Institute for Research and Studies on the Arab and Muslim Worlds at Aix-Marseille University and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) emphasised that Dupont’s work was not related to any sensitive topic. In fact, it had nothing to do with the post-July 2021 era, or Kais Saied specifically. He explained: ”It isn’t a political subject linked to dissidents or opponents nor a security subject, but rather a classic sociological subject.”
Dupont’s arrest comes amidst a wave of fear over the repression of scholars by the Tunisian state, especially those working on subjects too closely linked to politics. A colleague of Dupont, who goes by the name of Marie, explained that many Western researchers are now worried and feel that they are ‘in danger’.
Whilst the event rocked many, this has been a growing reality for Tunisian academics. Many in the education sector are deeply concerned about academic freedoms in Tunisia. This is especially the case for those covering subjects like human rights or authoritarian regimes. To protect themselves, many scholars have chosen self-censorship.
The guise of anti-imperialism
Indeed this arrest sends a strong message; the immunity once enjoyed by foreigners (namely from the West), has come to an end. This is all in line with Kais Saied’s seemingly anti-West views. The leader’s denunciations of foreign interference in Tunisia’s domestic affairs, for example, are a frequent theme in his speeches. Now, any Western scholar researching the country after the 2011 revolution might be considered suspicious to the government.
While it might seem that Saied is regularly accusing foreign parties, he’s rather referring to domestic actors or “traitors” to Tunisia who accept foreign funding to do the bidding of unknown foreign powers. Thus, Dupont is being presented as one of the foreign entities that an internal “traitors” is working with.
Certainly, distrust of the post-2011 and pre-July 2021 political class (accused by the Tunisian people of corruption and theft of public money) are seen to be associated with Western interests that have only led to inflation in Tunisia, and an unaffordable existence. And this has in turn raised suspicion towards those from the outside who come to Tunisia (from European researchers to even Tunisians who hold a dual nationality), as they are considered by some as spies who pose a threat to the country’s stability.
However, it is doubtful that Saied’s intentions are aligned with the interests of the masses. He may parade the notion that he is responding to the people’s wishes (a mantra he has used often since 2019) by taking on Western meddling, but his political portfolio has thus far indicated otherwise.
Forced amnesia
It is far more likely that the arrest of Dupont, along with the repression of particular research areas, targeting of thinkers and writers, is linked to the president’s desire to cleanse any memory of the 2011 uprisings. This is to force Tunisians to believe that there is no possibility for another revolution, or an overthrowing of a regime.
After 4 weeks in prison, Dupont was released. Three days later, the student returned to France and was welcomed by those close to him. The whole affair has felt like an attempt at distracting people in Tunisia from serious matters that impact their day-to day lives and freedoms.
Kais Saied’s regime seeks to stop everyone from digging up the past. Researchers, especially Western ones, working on 2011 will therefore be treated as trouble by the state. For those who wish to protect academic freedoms and freedom of speech, it is important that they remain united and collectivise in their struggle, even beyond Tunisia’s borders. Self-censorship may protect people in the immediate but increasing authoritarianism knows no limits.
The author is writing anonymously to protect their identity.
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