French doctoral student Victor Dupont, detained in Tunisia for a month, has been released and is back in France

Victor Dupont, a 27-year-old French doctoral student who had been detained since October 19 in Tunisia, where he conducted sociological research on participants in the 2011 revolution, was released and returned to France on Friday, November 15, announced the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Il “was released from prison on November 12 and returned to France today”declared Christophe Lemoine, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We are delighted that he can reunite with his loved ones”he added, in response to a question on the national's situation during a weekly press briefing.

The American agency Associated Press also writes that the young man was welcomed by a group of friends and supporters upon his arrival at Paris – Charles-de-Gaulle airport on Friday afternoon.

The reason for his arrest still unknown

The detention of this doctoral student was announced on October 31 by the director of his research laboratory at Aix-Marseille University. Victor Dupont conducts research on the socio-professional trajectory of “people who may have been involved at the time of the 2011 revolution”the first popular uprising of the “Arab Spring” which put an end to the regime of Tunisian dictator Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Vincent Geisser said at the time. “It is not a political subject linked to dissidents or opponents, it is not a security subject, it is a classic sociological subject”he insisted.

Victor Dupont had arrived in Tunisia around ten days before his arrest to conduct interviews. The reason for his arrest has not been officially communicated. Questioned on Friday, the spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education, our embassy and our consulate in Tunis remained mobilized throughout this affair”he on the other hand underlined.

Tunisia is led by Kaïs Saïed, president accused by the opposition and local and foreign NGOs of “authoritarian drift”but who was re-elected by an overwhelming majority of 90.7% on October 6.