Tunisia migrant advocate held in first 'terrorism' probe: rights group

A prominent Tunisian advocate for migrants is in custody and his case being handled by anti-terrorist investigators, a disturbing first for the country, the head of a rights group said Saturday.

Tunisia is one of the main launching points for boats carrying migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to seek better lives in Europe.

Abdallah Said, a Tunisian of Chadian origin, was questioned along with the secretary general and treasurer of his association, Children of the Medenine Moon, said Romdhane Ben Amor, spokesman for the Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (FTDES).

Two officers of a bank handling the association's accounts were also detained, he said.

Ben Amor described as "a dangerous signal" the transfer of the case to anti-terrorist investigators "because it's the first time authorities have used this against associations specialising in migration issues".

La Presse newspaper, which is close to the government, reported that "five activists operating on behalf of an association in Medenine were in custody in order to be referred to anti-terrorism investigators".

The newspaper said the association is suspected of receiving foreign funds "to assist sub-Saharan migrants to enter illegally onto Tunisian soil".

Ben Amor called Said's detention part of "a new wave of even tougher repression" against migration activists after an earlier crackdown in May.

"It's a message to all those working in solidarity with the migrants," he said.

In May, President Kais Saied lashed out at organisations that defend the rights of migrants, calling their leaders "traitors and mercenaries".

The president reiterated that Tunisia must not become "a country of transit" for migrants and asylum seekers.

Saied, re-elected in October in a vote with turnout of 28.8 percent, made a sweeping power grab in 2021 and critics accuse him of ushering in a new authoritarian regime.

Under a 2023 agreement, the European Union has provided funds to Tunisia in exchange for help with curbing small-boat crossings to Europe.

EU funding rules state all money should be spent in a way that respects fundamental rights, but reports have since emerged of migrants being beaten, raped and mistreated in Tunisian custody.