Families of 10 detained Tunisian pro-migrant activists, who have been imprisoned since May, launched an appeal on Tuesday demanding their release.
At a press conference, Romdhane Ben Amor, head of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), stated that the activists had been engaged in humanitarian work, not political advocacy.
He accused the authorities of criminalising their efforts to weaken migrants and refugees and push them towards “voluntary returns” facilitated by the UN’s International Organisation for Migration.
Tunisia has become a key transit hub for African migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
In 2023, President Kais Saied denounced “hordes of sub-Saharan migrants,” claiming they posed a demographic threat, sparking a crackdown that led to the activists’ arrests.
Among those calling for their relatives’ release was Emna Riahi, whose daughter, Sherifa Riahi, was jailed despite charges of money laundering and terrorism against her being dropped.
Also present were the daughters of Mustapha Djemali, an 80-year-old refugee rights advocate who has lost 35 kilogrammes (77 pounds) in prison and has allegedly been denied medication for months.
Ben Amor accused the authorities of jailing activists to justify the president’s anti-migrant rhetoric and criticised the “complicit silence” of the European Union and international organisations.
