New Caledonia activist says France is impeding travel home after prison release

Exclusive: Kanak leader Christian Tein, who was freed from prison in June, says France is deliberately dragging out' re-issue of his passport

A pro-independence leader from the French overseas territory of New Caledonia has accused the French government of deliberately dragging out" his passport application, preventing him from flying home after his release from prison.

Christian Tein, an Indigenous Kanak leader, was arrested in New Caledonia in June 2024 over allegations that he had instigated the deadly pro-independence protests that had taken place on the island a month earlier.