French PhD Student Detained in Tunisia

Victor Dupont, a 27-year-old French PhD student, has been detained in Tunisia since October 19 on charges of breaching state security. Dupont was conducting research on the socio-economic impacts of the 2011 revolution, interviewing individuals involved in the protests that led to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. His arrest, which also involved the detention of three friends, has raised concerns about academic freedom and sparked diplomatic tensions between France and Tunisia. French authorities are negotiating for his release, yet have received no comments from Tunisian officials or the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter. Vincent Geisser, Dupont's research supervisor, has publicly condemned the arrest and called for his student's release. The situation underscores the precarious state of civil liberties in Tunisia, especially following President Kais Saied's recent re-election amidst a crackdown on dissent.