Tunisia: Drop Charges Against Humanitarian Workers

Tunisian authorities must drop charges against six staff members of the Tunisian branch of the French NGO, France Terre d’Asile, who are facing a bogus criminal trial for their humanitarian work with refugees and migrants, and cease the relentless criminalization of civil society, Amnesty International said ahead of the opening of their trial on 15 December.

Three of the terre d’asile Tunisie staff – including Sherifa Riahi and Mohamed joo – have been arbitrarily held in pretrial detention for over 19 months, along with local municipality staff who collaborated with them.

“The recent verdict against the Tunisian Council for Refugees staff confirms the criminalization of support for refugees and asylum seekers, coming after Tunisian authorities put an end to access to asylum in the country. It sends a chilling message to humanitarian workers and civil society organizations, who are ofen helping to fulfil states’ international obligations with regards to refugees’ and migrants’ rights as well as social and economic rights for the wider population,” said Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and north Africa at Amnesty International.

“We call on the Tunisian authorities to respect their obligations under international human rights law, put an end to this injustice and ensure the release of NGO staff and those held arbitrarily with them from the municipality. Thay are being prosecuted simply for their legitimate work providing vital assistance and protection to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in precarious situations.”

We call on the tunisian authorities to respect their obligations under international human rights law, put an end to this injustice and ensure the release of NGO staff and those held arbitrarily with them from the municipality.

Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director for MENA

The NGO staff face trial alongside 17 former municipality officials and employees accused of collaborating with the institution. this follows the sentencing to two years in prison on 24 November of two staff members from humanitarian NGO the Tunisian Council for Refugees (CTR), amid a deepening crackdown on civil society organizations that has contributed to the complete dismantling of protections for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in the country.

Bogus charges against humanitarian workers

On 15 December,23 NGO staff and local municipality officials who collaborated with them will face trial before the Tunis Court of First Instance. Three of the Terre d’Asile Tunisie staff,human rights defenders and NGO workers – former director Sherifa Riahi,financial and administrative director Mohamed Joo,along with the current director – have been held in arbitrary pretrial detention since their