By Jean-Pierre A.
Amnesty International has raised alarm over Tunisia’s increasingly discriminatory policies against Black asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees.
The human rights organisation condemned Tunisian authorities for dismantling protections for these vulnerable groups amid widespread human rights violations that endanger their lives, safety, and dignity.
Amnesty has also criticised the European Union for cooperating with the North African country on migration control without “effective” human rights safeguards.
In a new report titled ‘, ‘Nobody Hears You When You Scream’: Dangerous Shift in Tunisia’s Migration Policy, Amnesty International has documented how, fueled by racist rhetoric from officials, Tunisian authorities have allegedly carried out racially targeted arrests and detentions.
The report released on Thursday 6 November, states reckless interceptions at sea; collective expulsions of tens of thousands of refugees and migrants to Algeria and Libya; and accuse Tunis of subjecting refugees and migrants to torture and other ill-treatment, including rape and other sexual violence, while cracking down on civil society providing critical assistance.
According to Amnesty, In June 2024, Tunisian authorities ordered an end to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) role in processing asylum claims, removing the only avenue for seeking asylum in the country. The report adds, “EU cooperation with Tunisia on migration control has continued without effective human rights safeguards, risking EU complicity in serious violations and trapping more people where their lives and rights are at risk.”
“The Tunisian authorities have presided over horrific human rights violations, stoking xenophobia, while dealing blow after blow to refugee protection,” said Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International “They must immediately reverse this devastating rollback by ending racist incitement and stopping collective expulsions that threaten lives.”
Amnesty International is calling on Tunisian Authorities to protect the right to asylum and ensure that they don’t expel anyone to places where they would be at risk of serious human rights violations. “NGO staff and human rights defenders detained for assisting refugees and migrants must be released unconditionally,” said the human rights body.
Morayeb further said : “The EU must urgently suspend any migration and border control assistance aimed at containing people in Tunisia and halt funding to security forces or other entities responsible for human rights violations against refugees and migrants. Instead of prioritizing containment and fuelling violations, EU cooperation with Tunisia must shift its focus to ensuring adequate protection measures and asylum procedures are available in the country, and incorporate clear, enforceable human rights benchmarks and conditions, to avoid complicity in violations.”
Amnesty International conducted research between February 2023 and June 2023 and interviewed 120 refugees and migrants from nearly 20countries (92 men, 28 women, eight children aged 16–17) in Tunis, Sfax, and Zarzis. The organization also reviewed UN, media, and civil society sources and the official pages of local Tunisian authorities.
Ahead of publication, Amnesty said that it shared its findings with Tunisian, European, and Libyan authorities. The Human Rights organisation said in a press release, no response had been received by the time of publication.
Testimonies in the new report, reveal a migration and asylum system that appears to be designed to exclude and punish rather than protect.
At least 60 of those interviewed by Amnesty, including three children, two refugees and five asylum seekers, were arbitrarily arrested and detained.
“Black refugees and migrants were targeted amid systemic racial profiling and successive waves of racist violence from individuals and security forces, triggered by the public advocacy of racial hatred, starting with President Kais Saied’s remarks in February 2023 and echoed by other officials and parliamentarians since,” alleges Amnesty.
According to the human rights monitor, the situation was aggravated by a surge of repressive measures targeting at least six NGOs providing critical support to refugees and migrants.
“This has had horrific humanitarian consequences and led to an enormous gap in protection,” said Amnesty.
The new report says,since May 2024, authorities have arbitrarily detained at least eight NGO workers and two former local officials who cooperated with them. The next hearing in the trial of the staff of one of these organizations, the Tunisian Council for Refugees, is scheduled for 24 November.
They drowned
Amnesty International investigated 24 interceptions at sea and spoke to 25 refugees and migrants who described life-threatening, reckless and violent behaviour by the Tunisian coastguard, such as dangerous ramming; high-speed manoeuvres threatening to capsize boats; hitting people and boats with batons; firing tear gas at close range; and the denial of any individualised protection assessment at disembarkation.
“Céline”, a Cameroonian woman migrant intercepted after departing from the eastern region of Sfax in June 2023, told Amnesty International:
“They kept hitting our [wooden] boat with long batons with sharp endings, they pierced it… There were at least two women and three babies without life vests. We saw them drown and then we could not see the bodies anymore. I have never been so scared.”
