![Popular Small-Size Actress Aunty Ajara Dies After Liver Illness [VIDEO]](https://thepunchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20241109_125042-75x75.jpg)
A Tunisian court has ordered the release of several humanitarian workers after handing them suspended prison sentences over charges linked to assisting migrants, according to a support committee statement on Tuesday.
Among those freed is Sherifa Riahi, former director of the French non-governmental organisation Terre d’Asile, who had spent more than 20 months in pre-trial detention before the court delivered its verdict on Monday.
Shortly after the ruling, a video shared by Riahi’s support committee showed her leaving prison late at night. The group confirmed that her colleagues who had been detained were also released.
Suspended sentences, more rulings expected
Mahmoud Daoud Yaacoub, a member of the defence team, told AFP that the court handed down two-year suspended sentences to defendants who had been held in custody.
“Tomorrow, we will learn the rest of the judgment regarding the defendants who are out on bail,” Yaacoub said.
The NGO workers were tried alongside 17 municipal employees from the eastern city of Sousse, who were accused of providing premises to the organisation.
In total, 23 defendants faced charges including facilitating the illegal entry and residence of migrants and conspiracy to house or hide people who entered the country clandestinely. The offences carried potential prison terms of up to 10 years. Other charges, including allegations of financial wrongdoing, had earlier been dropped.
Defence cites humanitarian mandate
Lawyers for the defendants maintained that their clients were acting within the scope of a state-approved humanitarian programme, carried out in coordination with Tunisian authorities.
On the final day of the trial, a small group of supporters gathered outside the courthouse. Proceedings lasted throughout the day, with the judges retiring to deliberate after nightfall.
Ahead of the verdict, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor urged Tunisian authorities to free Riahi, describing the case as based on “dubious charges” linked to her defence of migrant rights.
Migration tensions in Tunisia
Migration remains a deeply sensitive issue in Tunisia, which serves as a major transit route for tens of thousands of people attempting to reach Europe each year.
The defendants were arrested in May 2024, alongside about a dozen other humanitarian workers, including prominent anti-racism activist Saadia Mosbah, whose trial is scheduled to begin later this month.
Tensions escalated in February 2023 after President Kais Saied warned that “hordes of illegal migrants,” many from sub-Saharan Africa, posed a demographic threat to the country. His remarks were followed by a surge in racially motivated attacks, forcing thousands of migrants out of their homes and jobs.
Many were repatriated or attempted the dangerous Mediterranean crossing, while others were expelled to desert border regions near Algeria and Libya. Rights groups say at least 100 people died during that period.
The crackdown coincided with increased European Union efforts to curb irregular migration, including a €255 million ($290 million) agreement with Tunisia aimed at stemming departures from its shores.
