About Us

Introduction to the Free Voice Organization for the Defense of Human Rights

The Free Voice Organization for the Defense of Human Rights is a non-governmental organization committed to defending victims of repression and tyranny without discrimination.

The Free Voice Organization was founded on October 15, 2003, in Paris, France, on the initiative of a group of Tunisian activists who had been targeted by repression and injustice and were forced to leave their country in the early 1990s, during one of the largest waves of forced exile in modern Tunisian history.

Throughout the years of hardship, the Free Voice Organization was the voice of those who had no voice, speaking out in a time of silence. It continues to uphold its noble mission of defending victims of repression, injustice, and tyranny.

The primary motivation behind the establishment of the Free Voice Organization for the Defense of Human Rights was to break the wall of silence surrounding the tragedy of more than thirty thousand Tunisian men and women who were victims of a brutal repressive apparatus launched against society in the early 1990s. This campaign ultimately led to the installation of a corrupt, mafia-like dictatorship that turned Tunisia into a terrifying prison and imposed a climate of fear upon society.

The dictatorship’s propaganda, along with that of its allies, succeeded in silencing anyone attempting to defend Tunisian political prisoners, who were subjected to a policy of slow death that claimed the lives of dozens of them.

The Free Voice Organization for the Defense of Human Rights, in cooperation with several NGOs and human rights and political activists both within Tunisia and abroad—in Europe, the United States, and the Maghreb—established annual events to raise awareness about the suffering of political prisoners in Tunisia, their families, their defenders, and their supporters. It made significant efforts to reach the media despite the overwhelming propaganda in favor of the dictatorship and its so-called “achievements.”

The organization continued its struggle despite the vast imbalance between its modest resources and the powerful propaganda machine controlled by the dictator, as well as the indifference and suspicion that often met attempts to expose the regime’s real criminal practices. This regime continued to receive support from international powers until the very end.

Activists of the Free Voice Organization for the Defense of Human Rights resisted the atmosphere of despair, frustration, and resignation that prevailed before the outbreak of the revolution. They continued to expose the violations and crimes of the dictatorship. From the very first day of the revolution, the organization became actively involved in the revolutionary process and participated in all movements supporting the Tunisian people’s uprising.

Since its founding, the Free Voice Organization for the Defense of Human Rights has organized more than fifty conferences, seminars, and public gatherings, and has launched numerous urgent campaigns on behalf of political prisoners in danger. It succeeded in breaking the isolation imposed on them and in conveying their voices to the international community.

The organization also established an innovative tradition by lighting candles at the Human Rights Square in Paris on June 26 of each year, marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Although the Free Voice Organization was primarily focused on the Tunisian issue—which at the time was considered a silent tragedy—this did not prevent it from actively contributing to other just causes. Notably, it played a significant role in supporting the Palestinian people during the war on the Gaza Strip at the end of 2009. The organization was among those that contributed to serious efforts to bring the Israeli entity before international courts on charges of committing crimes against humanity.