Ten environmental campaigners in Tunisia have been handed sentences following their involvement in protests against industrial pollution from a major phosphate-processing plant located in the coastal city of Gabes.
The demonstrations took place in 2020, with local residents and activists demanding immediate measures to address severe health and environmental issues linked to the state-owned facility.
Defense attorney Hamida Chaieb confirmed that eight of the campaigners were given six-month suspended prison sentences, while two others received one-year prison terms.
The legal action was initiated by the state-owned factory itself, which alleged that the demonstrators interfered with its day-to-day operations.
According to campaigners, they originally assumed the legal proceedings were abandoned following their initial arrest and subsequent release. They later discovered they had been tried and convicted in absentia in 2023, which led to the recent retrial.
The rulings follow ongoing debate and alarm regarding the facility’s environmental footprint. Studies and scientific research indicate that emissions and industrial runoff from the plant contain radioactive elements that could present severe health threats to nearby communities.
Earlier this year in February, a Tunisian court turned down a legal effort aiming to halt operations at the plant.
These legal developments occur as Tunisia prepares to expand its phosphate output more than fourfold by the year 2030, a key initiative backed by President Kais Saied to stimulate the national economy.
