Six humanitarian workers from the Tunisian branch of the French NGO Terre d’Asile were released from prison overnight between Monday and Tuesday, according to the support committee of one of the detainees. The workers had been on trial for allegedly facilitating the illegal entry and residence of migrants and had been imprisoned for more than 20 months. Their lawyers argued that they were merely providing aid to asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants under a program approved by the Tunisian government, which was intended to deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need.
The court sentenced the detained defendants, including former NGO director Sherifa Riahi, to two years’ suspended imprisonment. Lawyer Mahmoud Daoud Yaacoub, a member of Riahi’s defense team, said that the remaining aspects of the ruling concerning the defendants who are free would be announced the following day.
In addition to the NGO workers, 17 members of the municipal council of Sousse, an eastern Tunisian city, face charges for allegedly allowing the NGO to use municipal premises. The case highlights the challenges humanitarian workers encounter in Tunisia, where they are often caught between their duty to provide aid and the country’s migration laws. While the workers’ release is a positive development, the suspended sentences and ongoing proceedings against other defendants underscore the complexities and uncertainties surrounding the issue. The outcome will likely have significant implications for humanitarian organizations operating in the region as Tunisian authorities seek to balance migrant protection with immigration enforcement.
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