Born in Algiers in 1952, Tubiana's family moved to Paris in 1962. His father was a judge with the tribunal de commerce and his mother raised him and his two brothers. In 1967, he became a militant of the Jeunesse communiste révolutionnaire [fr], a Trotskyist youth organization. In 1972, as a law student, he became involved with Freemasonry, the Fédération du Droit Humain, and the Grand Orient de France. He protested the assassination of Salvador Allende in 1973.[2]
In 1974, Tubiana officially became a lawyer. He defended Klaus Croissant, lawyer of the Red Army Faction, and was involved in the trial of Maurice Papon,[2] although he was primarily a corporate lawyer. On 12 June 2000, he succeeded Henri Leclerc as President of the Human Rights League. He stayed in office until 12 June 2005.[2]
On 27 January 2014, Le Monde alleged that Tubiana and others were guilty of tax evasion in Switzerland with HSBC Private Bank as part of Swiss Leaks.[3] Notably, he opposed the extradition of far-left Italian terrorist Cesare Battisti.[4]
Michel Tubiana died on 2 October 2021 at the age of 68.[5]
