Tunis – Tunisian rights groups charged on Thursday that the state was cracking down on migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and turning a blind eye to racist “hate speech” against them online.
“In recent days, more than 300 migrants have been arrested, remanded in custody and placed on trial,” read a joint statement from 23 rights groups, including the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES).
Some were arrested after simple identity checks or after attending court hearings to support relatives, they said.
The groups accused the Tunisian state of “turning a blind eye to the rise of hateful and racist speech on social networks and in certain media outlets”.
They added that European migration policies were “transforming Tunisia into a key actor in surveillance of migration routes in the Mediterranean, particularly intercepting migrant boats outside territorial waters and transferring them to Tunisia”.
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The Tunisian state must “strive against hate speech, discrimination and racism… and intervene where necessary to guarantee the dignity and rights of migrants”.
In December, the Tunisian authorities decided to expel a group of migrants who had been living in a youth refuge in the capital, a ruling the FTDES called “inhuman and repressive”.
Tunisia, whose shores lie less than 150 kilometres (95 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa, is a key departure point for African migrants seeking to reach Europe.
According to official Italian figures, more than 32,000 migrants, including 18,000 Tunisians, made clandestine journeys from Tunisia to Italy last year.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Pixabay
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