Six staff members of the Tunisian branch of the France Terre d’Asile aid group, along with 17 municipal workers from the eastern city of Sousse, face charges of sheltering migrants and facilitating their “illegal entry and residence”. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison.

Tunisia is a key transit point for tens of thousands of migrants seeking entry into Europe each year. Migration is a sensitive issue in Tunisia. Sherifa Riahi, former head of Terre d’Asile Tunisie, is among the accused and has been detained for more than 19 months, according to her lawyer.

Amnesty International condemned the case as a “bogus criminal trial” and called for the charges to be dropped, saying the accused were being prosecuted for legitimate humanitarian work. The arrests occurred amid heightened tensions over migration in Tunisia following President Kais Saied’s 2023 remarks about “illegal migrants.” His speech triggered a series of racially motivated attacks as thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia were pushed out of their homes and jobs.