The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Amnesty International have condemned Tunisian President Kais Saied's "
racist remarks
" against migrants of sub-Saharan origin, and urged the Tunisian authorities to carry out independent investigations into the attacks targeting these immigrants.
“
FIDH, its 54 member organizations in Africa and its 188 organizations around the world oppose with all their might the verbal and physical violence that strikes migrants on Tunisian soil,” said FIDH President Alice Mogwe
. , in a press release.
“
Calling hatred against people who are already suffering discrimination, violence and deprivation is particularly the height of brutality (...).
I appeal particularly to the responsibility of the Tunisian leaders, what legacy will you leave in history?
“, she questioned.
“
For 15 days, FIDH member organizations in Tunisia have documented the exacerbation of human rights violations suffered by sub-Saharan migrants living in the country: arbitrary arrests and detentions, attacks, evictions from their homes, dismissal abusive
”, denounces the press release.
FIDH and its member organizations call for the opening of an "
independent investigation
" in Tunisia into this outbreak of violence.
Investigate attacks
In a press release on Friday, the human rights organization Amnesty International also urged the Tunisian authorities to "
investigate and hold the perpetrators accountable
" (of the violence, editor's note), "
especially when the police are involved in attacks
”.
Amnesty says it spoke to around 20 people in Tunis, including five asylum seekers and 15 undocumented migrants from Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire.
"
All were attacked by mobs, and in the case of three people, the police were present but did not intervene
", denounces Amnesty.
A 22-year-old Cameroonian asylum seeker, Manuela D., told Amnesty that she was attacked on February 24 outside a cafe in Tunis by a group of six men hurling racist slurs at her.
After feeling a heavy blow to the back of the neck and falling to the ground, she says she was stabbed and 'woke up
in hospital covered in blood
' with serious injuries '
to her breast, abdomen and lips
' , she said, showing Amnesty a photo of her injuries.
"
The Tunisian authorities should make sure to put an immediate end to this wave of attacks
", insists Amnesty.
The authorities "
should release all arbitrarily detained migrants and ensure that they are not returned against their will
" to their countries of origin, the organization continues.
“Migrant hordes”
On February 21, Tunisian President Kais Saied claimed that the presence of "
hordes
" of illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa was a source of "
violence and crime
" and was part of a "
criminal enterprise
" aimed at "
changing the demographic composition
of the country.
There followed an upsurge in attacks against these migrants and dozens of them asked their embassies to be repatriated.
Criticized by numerous NGOs, President Saied affirmed that his objective was to ensure respect for "
Tunisian legality concerning foreigners
" and to prevent any "
jurisdiction parallel to the jurisdictions of the State
", by rejecting the "
malicious remarks
" of those who "
wanted to interpret the speech as they pleased to harm Tunisia
".
"
The recent announcements of appeasement made on March 5 by President Saied did not even include an apology
", deplores the FIDH.
“
When racist remarks are repeated, supported and assumed by an entire government, can we still speak of leaving the road?
“, she asks.