Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms is following with grave concern the worsening environmental crisis in the Governorate of Gabes, resulting from the continued operation of polluting industrial units belonging to the Tunisian Chemical Group.
In this context, on February 26, 2026, the Gabes Court of First Instance issued its ruling in the urgent proceedings brought by the Gabes Regional Branch of the Tunisian Order of Lawyers against the Tunisian Chemical Group at the end of October 2025. The court rejected the request to suspend the industrial activity, basing its decision on the argument that “harm had not been established.”
This reasoning disregards established and documented evidence confirming the scale of pollution and the dangerous emissions produced by the Group’s industrial units. It also overlooks the audit report conducted in July 2025 and published on the institution’s official website, which acknowledged serious deficiencies and the non-compliance of several units with Tunisian environmental standards.
Furthermore, it disregards the repeated cases of suffocation among schoolchildren since September 2025, as well as the continued release of toxic gases and smoke, accompanied by the spread of serious illnesses, damage to vegetation and wildlife, the degradation of the Gulf of Gabes, and the loss of livelihoods among fishermen.
Intersection Association considers this ruling a serious setback to the protection of the environment and public health, and a blatant disregard for documented facts, particularly the widespread environmental pollution in the Governorate of Gabes, the continued release of toxic gases and dense smoke from the Group’s industrial units, and the daily cases of suffocation reported among residents and schoolchildren since the end of last year. This is all the more concerning given that the executive authorities themselves have acknowledged the scale of the environmental disaster affecting the region.
The Association further considers that this decision is not merely an isolated judicial failure, but rather explicitly reinforces a logic of impunity, placing industrial and commercial interests above the lives of citizens and their fundamental rights to live in a healthy environment. It therefore constitutes a violation of the right to life, the right to health, and the right to a safe and healthy environment, as guaranteed by the international treaties to which Tunisia is a party, foremost among them the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The Association stresses that this ruling is part of the continuing environmental crisis, particularly when viewed in light of the 2022 Tunisian Constitution, which explicitly recognizes that economic development must not come at the expense of a healthy environment. Its Preamble states that economic and social development must continue “without setback or regression in a healthy environment that makes Green Tunisia greener from one end to the other,” affirming that sustainable and lasting development cannot exist without a healthy environment free from all sources of pollution.
Furthermore, Article 47 of the Constitution explicitly obliges the State to guarantee the right to a healthy and balanced environment, contribute to climate safety, and provide the means necessary to eliminate environmental pollution. The ruling issued today stands in direct contradiction to this constitutional obligation.
The Association considers the ruling even more alarming given the clear double standards between this decision and the sentences handed down against environmental activist Khaireddine Debbia and twelve other citizens. They were sentenced to one year in prison for taking part in a peaceful gathering and demanding the immediate closure of what local residents have come to call the “Death Complex.” Meanwhile, the Tunisian Chemical Group is shielded from accountability on the grounds that harm has not been established. This reflects a complete reversal of roles, whereby the victim is treated as the perpetrator and the perpetrator as the victim.
On this basis, Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms categorically rejects this ruling and reaffirms its steadfast support for the people of Gabes in their continued legal and human rights struggle to defend their right to a healthy environment and a dignified life.
The Association also calls for accountability for all parties responsible for decades of systematic pollution and the grave human rights violations it has caused, particularly violations of residents’ rights to health, clean water, and clean air.
