A Tunisian court has released a group of humanitarian workers, including Sherifa Riahi, the 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. By the time of their final hearing, the NGO staff had already spent more than 20 months in jail. Their support committee shared a video showing Riahi leaving prison, confirming that her colleagues had also been freed.
The defendants were charged alongside 17 municipal workers from Sousse who had provided premises to the organisation. In total, 23 individuals faced accusations of “conspiracy with the aim of housing or hiding people who entered clandestinely,” with potential sentences of up to 10 years. Other charges, including financial misconduct, had previously been dropped. Lawyers for the defendants argued that their actions were part of state-approved humanitarian programs coordinated with the government.
On the day of the verdict, a small crowd gathered outside the courthouse to support the defendants, as the court spent the day reviewing the case. The UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, had called for Riahi’s release, warning against prosecution on what she described as dubious charges related to defending migrant rights.
Migration remains a highly sensitive issue in Tunisia, a key transit point for thousands seeking to reach Europe. The arrests of the NGO workers in May 2024 occurred amid heightened tensions, including earlier remarks by President Kais Saied in February 2023, labeling sub-Saharan migrants as a demographic threat. His comments contributed to racially motivated attacks and forced displacement, with many migrants repatriated, attempting dangerous crossings, or expelled to desert borders with Algeria and Libya, where fatalities occurred.
The humanitarian crisis has coincided with broader European efforts to curb migrant arrivals, including a 255-million-euro ($290 million) agreement with Tunisia to limit crossings to the EU’s southern shores. Despite these pressures, the court’s release of the NGO workers marks a significant development for migrant advocacy and human rights in the country.
