Khemais Chammari

Khemais Chammari (7 November 1942 – 1 January 2024) was a Tunisian human rights activist, diplomat, and politician of the Movement of Socialist Democrats (MDS). He was sentenced to prison many times by the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Biography Born in Tunis on 7 November 1942, Chammari earned a degree in economic sciences and sociology. In 1963, he began campaigning for peace and human rights after a conference in Florence on dialogue between Jews and Muslims. From there, he decided to fight against the Tunisian dictatorship, becoming Secretary-General of the Tunisian Human Rights League, then as vice-president from 1982 to 1994. He also served as vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights from 1982 to 1992.

Chammari was a member of the political movement and the MDS party. In 1984, he publicly voiced his opposition to the death penalty. Subject to strong international pressure, he was released from prison on 30 December 1996 on the grounds of his deteriorating health.

After his release, Chammari went into exile before returning to Tunisia in 2004. In February 2005, he was due to attend a conference of Arab leaders in Algiers, but was expelled from Algerian territory due to alleged links between himself and Algerian Islamist terrorists. On 18 October of that year, he brought together leaders of different Tunisian political parties to create a united opposition to Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, mainly comprising Islamist groups. He then organized a hunger strike which lasted 32 days. However, this move led to greater international visibility for Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi and his temporary closeness with Ben Ali. In December 2007, he proposed texts on gender equality and freedom of conscience.

Distinctions (1990) Nuremberg Human Rights Award (1997) National Order of Merit (2018)