When UN Experts Denounce the Criminalization of Peasant Struggles in France

Paris, Geneva, January 29, 2026. The Confédération Paysanne (Peasant Confederation) and CETIM welcome the position paper published on January 26 by several United Nations human rights experts*. These experts express their deep concern regarding the use of mass arrests, the criminalization of social movements, and the prosecution of peasants and union leaders in France.

This international alert follows directly from the complaint (see here) filed jointly by our two organizations on January 15, 2026, with the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. This report documented the mass and disproportionate arrests of January 14 in Paris, which notably targeted national spokespeople for the Confédération Paysanne and the general coordinator of La Via Campesina, during a peaceful protest at the Ministry of Agriculture.

The UN experts confirm our findings and concerns, particularly regarding:

• the unjustified and discriminatory nature of the mass arrests, especially when they target certain unions;

• the disproportionate restriction of fundamental freedoms (peaceful assembly, association, expression) by the French authorities;

• the failure to respect the rights of peasants to express their grievances and to participate in decisions that affect their lives and work, without fear of intimidation.

For the Confédération Paysanne and CETIM, this international stance is crucial support and validation of the legitimacy of our struggle. We call on the French government to heed this serious warning from the highest UN bodies. Instead of continuing down the path of repression and silence, the government must end all legal proceedings against the peasants arrested on January 9 and 14; cease the criminalization of union actions and peaceful civil disobedience movements.

The government must commit to a constructive and good-faith dialogue on the substance of the legitimate demands of the peasant movement: the management of the health crisis (DNC), destructive trade agreements such as the one with Mercosur, and the necessary transition to an agricultural model that respects peasants and the environment.

The peasant mobilization will continue, now reinforced by visible international vigilance. The right to peaceful protest is non-negotiable.

*The full text of the UN experts’ statement is available on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/France-un-experts-alarmed-farmers-arrests-and-growing-criminalisation

Press contacts:
Fanny Métrat, National Spokesperson for the Confédération Paysanne: +33 6 16 60 25 03
Raffaele Morgantini, CETIM Representative to the UN, raffaele@cetim.ch, +41 79 66 06 514