New Caledonian Activist Says France Is Holding Him Back After Prison Release
Christian Tein, a pro-independence leader from New Caledonia, claims that the French government has deliberately delayed his passport application, preventing him from traveling back home after being released from prison. The 57-year-old Indigenous Kanak leader was arrested in June 2024 on charges related to the deadly protests against electoral law changes, which aimed to allow white residents who had lived on the islands for 10 or more years to vote.
Tein's experience is not an isolated incident. He was flown to France on a private chartered plane and held in solitary confinement for a year before being cleared by a Paris appeals court to return home in October. However, he says that French authorities have not re-issued him with a passport, leaving him unable to leave the country.
"I'm being deliberately dragged out," Tein said in an interview from Montpellier. "It's been a while since I submitted my passport application, but we can see that [the French government] are deliberately dragging it out."
Tein, who was elected president of the Kanak National and Socialist Liberation Front while in prison, has described his time in solitary confinement as "very, very hard." He said that he never fully recovered from the psychological effects of the experience.
The French government's handling of Tein's case has raised concerns about human rights. The delay to the issuing of his passport "may amount to an unlawful restriction on his right to freedom of movement," according to Urko Aiartza, a co-president of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy & World Human Rights.
Tein's legal team said that the administration responsible for issuing passports was now delaying the issue of a new passport, highlighting the bureaucratic hurdles faced by Tein. The Kanak leader has expressed his frustration with the French government's treatment of him and other independence activists.
"I always refused to travel to mainland France because I said I would come when my country was independent," Tein said, laughing. "I am 57 years old, and I don't think I have the right to pass this problem on to future generations. [Independence] is our only ambition."
The situation in New Caledonia has been tense since the violent protests last May. The French government's attempt to change voting laws sparked outrage among Kanak activists, who saw it as an attack on their rights and aspirations for independence.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, eventually scrapped the planned voting law change and announced the Bougival accord in July. However, Tein was not part of the agreement, which granted more autonomy to New Caledonia but kept it under French control.
As Tein continues to fight for his right to return home, concerns about human rights abuses against Kanak activists remain high. The delay to the issuing of his passport has only added to the frustration and sense of injustice among those fighting for independence.
Christian Tein, a pro-independence leader from New Caledonia, claims that the French government has deliberately delayed his passport application, preventing him from traveling back home after being released from prison. The 57-year-old Indigenous Kanak leader was arrested in June 2024 on charges related to the deadly protests against electoral law changes, which aimed to allow white residents who had lived on the islands for 10 or more years to vote.
Tein's experience is not an isolated incident. He was flown to France on a private chartered plane and held in solitary confinement for a year before being cleared by a Paris appeals court to return home in October. However, he says that French authorities have not re-issued him with a passport, leaving him unable to leave the country.
"I'm being deliberately dragged out," Tein said in an interview from Montpellier. "It's been a while since I submitted my passport application, but we can see that [the French government] are deliberately dragging it out."
Tein, who was elected president of the Kanak National and Socialist Liberation Front while in prison, has described his time in solitary confinement as "very, very hard." He said that he never fully recovered from the psychological effects of the experience.
The French government's handling of Tein's case has raised concerns about human rights. The delay to the issuing of his passport "may amount to an unlawful restriction on his right to freedom of movement," according to Urko Aiartza, a co-president of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy & World Human Rights.
Tein's legal team said that the administration responsible for issuing passports was now delaying the issue of a new passport, highlighting the bureaucratic hurdles faced by Tein. The Kanak leader has expressed his frustration with the French government's treatment of him and other independence activists.
"I always refused to travel to mainland France because I said I would come when my country was independent," Tein said, laughing. "I am 57 years old, and I don't think I have the right to pass this problem on to future generations. [Independence] is our only ambition."
The situation in New Caledonia has been tense since the violent protests last May. The French government's attempt to change voting laws sparked outrage among Kanak activists, who saw it as an attack on their rights and aspirations for independence.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, eventually scrapped the planned voting law change and announced the Bougival accord in July. However, Tein was not part of the agreement, which granted more autonomy to New Caledonia but kept it under French control.
As Tein continues to fight for his right to return home, concerns about human rights abuses against Kanak activists remain high. The delay to the issuing of his passport has only added to the frustration and sense of injustice among those fighting for independence.
I think it's pretty clear that France is just trying to strangle Tein's movement 
. If he was really being "deliberately dragged out", wouldn't the authorities have, like, a better reason for not re-issuing his passport? 
It's all just a bunch of bureaucratic red tape 
. The French government needs to get its act together and sort this out already 
. And can we talk about how unfair it is that Tein has to be 57 before he gets to leave the country? 
️. Delaying his passport application can be seen as an unlawful restriction on his right to freedom of movement, which raises human rights concerns 
.
. The situation in New Caledonia has been tense for a while now, and this doesn't help ease the tensions 
.
. This isn't an isolated incident either - there are other concerns about human rights abuses against Kanak activists 
. Let's just wish everyone could find a way to resolve this peacefully 
Tein's fight for independence is not just about him, it's about the Kanak people and their right to self-determination.
. The French government's delayin' his passport application could be seen as a form of psychological warfare, keepin' him from feelin' like he's been fully released 
.
. We need more people speakin' out, demandin' justice and equality for all 
.
what's the deal with all this bureaucratic red tape? 
this is so frustrating for Christian Tein and all other Kanaks fighting for their rights it's like France is trying to hold them back, literally!