UN: Tunisia is “backsliding” in protecting migrant rights

Tunisia has reduced its protection of migrant rights, with arrests of activists and rising hate speech, UN human rights rapporteur Mary Lawlor said in a statement reported by AFP.

“The arrest of migrant rights defenders and the general climate of hate speech and smear campaigns against them in Tunisia is further evidence that the country is backsliding in its commitment to the protection of human rights," the statement said.

Lawlor criticized official rhetoric labeling those who assist migrants as "traitors and foreign agents." She warned that this crackdown would deprive vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers of essential support, particularly sub-Saharan Africans attempting dangerous Mediterranean crossings from Tunisia and Libya.

The arrests follow President Kais Saied's recent attacks on NGOs assisting migrants, accusing them of undermining Tunisia with foreign funds. Lawlor emphasized that Tunisian activists are risking their safety to uphold human rights. Saied’s speech last year, in which he called migrants a "demographic threat," sparked violence against sub-Saharan Africans.