Sherifa Riahi, an NGO Employee, gets Released by Tunisia after 20 Months

Sherifa Riahi was released from prison in Tunisia and reunited with her family after being detained for more than 20 months. The former director of the French non-governmental organization Terre d’Asile and two of his colleagues were released on Tuesday after a Tunisian court imposed suspended sentences on them for allegedly helping migrants enter and remain illegally. After being released, Riahi expressed her relief.

Speaking after her release, Riahi detailed the psychological toll of her incarceration, stating that being alone and apart from her family was more challenging than the prison’s circumstances. She claimed that the experience was especially difficult because there was little news from the outside world and she was afraid of losing loved ones.

Additionally, Riahi issued a warning against what she called Tunisia’s criminalization of humanitarian activity. She stated that the only goal of her organization was to support Tunisia in handling migration, which she characterized as an existent and inevitable fact, while also helping migrants and asylum seekers in severely vulnerable circumstances.

Riahi insists that she and her associates were working legally under a state-approved program when they were arrested in May 2024. She emphasized that Terre d’Asile had worked in Tunisia since 2012 in close coordination with government institutions, including signed agreements and public commendations, making the prosecution difficult for her to fathom.

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