Tunisia Releases 23 Activists Accused of Assisting Migrants Amid Ongoing Immigration Debate
Authorities in Tunisia announced the release of humanitarian workers from the Tunisian branch of the French organization "Terre d'asile" on Monday evening, following months of detention related to allegations of aiding migrants in entering and residing illegally in the country. This case has sparked significant debate both locally and internationally.
The support committee for Chirifa Riahi, the former director of the organization, confirmed the release of all detainees and shared a video on Facebook showing Riahi being welcomed by supporters as she exited prison.
In a noteworthy judicial development, defense attorney Dawood Yaqub indicated that the court imposed a two-year suspended sentence on five defendants, including Riahi, with further details of the ruling expected to be disclosed later, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
Prior to the hearing, the support committee emphasized that all allegations related to illegal or questionable financial activities were dropped during the investigation, including claims of undeclared funding or financial irregularities, asserting that no legal violations or breaches of humanitarian work guidelines were proven.
The case involves 23 defendants, including 17 members of the municipal council of Sousse, located in eastern Tunisia, accused of providing premises for the organization, while two individuals remained in detention. Initially, all defendants faced potential prison sentences of up to ten years for charges related to "collusion and forming an organization" aimed at assisting foreigners in entering and residing illegally in Tunisia and harboring migrants who entered the country clandestinely.
Defense attorneys argued that the accused were engaged in legitimate humanitarian work under a program sanctioned by the Tunisian state, working directly with government authorities to assist asylum seekers and migrants.
Internationally, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, urged Tunisian authorities to release Riahi, deeming the charges against her baseless and linked to her advocacy for migrant rights.
The case dates back to May 2024, when the accused were arrested alongside nearly ten other humanitarian workers, including prominent anti-racism activist Saadia Msbah, who began her trial last December.
Tunisia serves as a critical transit point for thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa attempting to reach Europe illegally by sea each year. The discourse surrounding this case has intensified since February 2023, when President Kais Saïed made controversial remarks about "waves of migrants" threatening the "demographic composition" of the country, drawing widespread criticism.
These comments have been followed by rising tensions, with thousands of migrants being deported or fleeing by sea, while NGOs reported that Tunisian police had transferred hundreds to desert border areas with Algeria and Libya, resulting in the deaths of at least a hundred individuals.
