A Tunisian court has released a group of humanitarian workers, including Sherifa Riahi, former director of the French NGO Terre d’Asile, after handing them two-year suspended sentences for facilitating the “illegal entry and residence” of migrants, a support committee said Tuesday.
Riahi and several staff members had spent more than 20 months in pre-trial detention. The defendants, 23 in total, also included municipal workers from Sousse who had lent premises to the NGO. They faced charges of “conspiracy to house or hide people who entered clandestinely,” with potential sentences of up to 10 years. Other financial-related charges were dropped.
The defendants’ lawyers argued that their actions were humanitarian work carried out under a state-approved programme in coordination with the government. Supporters gathered outside the courthouse as the final hearing concluded.
The UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, had urged Tunisian authorities to release Riahi and drop what she described as “dubious charges” against those defending migrant rights.
Migration remains a sensitive issue in Tunisia, a key transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe. President Kais Saied’s 2023 remarks about “illegal migrants” from sub-Saharan Africa had previously sparked racially motivated attacks, mass expulsions, and dangerous border crossings, resulting in dozens of deaths.
The case comes amid heightened EU efforts to reduce migration to Europe, including a €255-million ($290 million) deal with Tunisia to curb arrivals on southern shores.
