UN rights office voices concern over 'increased targeting' of migrants in Tunisia

GENEVA

The UN human rights office on Friday expressed concern over the "increased targeting" of migrants in Tunisia, urging that the rights of all migrants "must be protected."

"We are very concerned by the increased targeting in Tunisia of migrants, mostly from south of the Sahara, and individuals and organizations working to assist them," spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a UN briefing in Geneva.

"At the same time, we are witnessing a rise in the use of dehumanizing and racist rhetoric against Black migrants and Black Tunisians," Shamdasani lamented.

She noted that the human rights office has recorded incidents of arbitrary arrest and detention of human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists critical of the government, as well as its migration policies.

The reported raids in the past week on the Tunisia Bar Association "undermine the rule of law and violate international standards on the protection of the independence and function of lawyers," she said, and added: "Such actions constitute forms of intimidation and harassment."

"UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urges the authorities to respect and safeguard freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Tunisia is a party," she said.

Shamdasani also said it is imperative that the rule of law be upheld and that those arbitrarily detained should be released.

"The human rights of all migrants must be protected, and xenophobic hate speech must stop," she urged.