Three years after the conclusion of the partnership between the European Union and Tunisia, 46 organisations
are denouncing its consequences for migrants and calling for an end to European support for border control.
Forty-six human rights organizations have called for the immediate suspension of European Union support to Tunisia in the area of migration management, three years after the signing of the strategic partnership between Brussels and Tunis.
A joint statement published on July 16 asserts that the agreement has “fuelled and normalized serious human rights violations.”
The signatories also believe that this partnership has limited the EU’s capacity to respond to the deteriorating human rights situation in Tunisia.
Signed on July 16, 2023, the agreement notably included €105 million to support maritime interceptions and the control of Tunisian borders.
The organisations accuse the EU of thus prolonging its policy of externalising migration control, already implemented with Libya.
The signatories report illegal and violent interceptions attributed to the Tunisian coast guard. They also denounce the lack of individual assessments of protection needs after migrants disembark in Tunisia.
According to their statement, some intercepted individuals are subsequently pushed back clandestinely to Libya, where they risk arbitrary detention, exploitation, and violence.
Drawing on expertise from the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and the World Organisation Against Torture, the organizations contest Tunisia’s designation as a “safe port” under international maritime law.
They call for a comprehensive review of European funding to ensure that no material support contributes to human rights abuses.
They also demand Tunisia’s removal from the EU’s list of “safe countries of origin.”
MK/AK/Sf/fss/as/APA