Tunisia: 'A Blueprint for Complicity' - Three Years On, EU-Tunisia Deal Continues to Fuel Human Rights Violations

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A coalition of 46 human rights and humanitarian organizations has issued a joint statement urging the European Union and its member states to publicly denounce human rights violations in Tunisia and to immediately suspend border and migration control support to Tunisian authorities. The appeal comes three years after the EU and Tunisia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on July 16, 2023, an agreement that the rights groups say has "fueled and normalized serious human rights violations" and made the EU complicit in abuses by Tunisian security forces.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the joint statement, AllAfrica highlighted the organizations' call for the EU to change course and adopt a human rights-based approach. The outlet noted that the MoU was largely motivated by seeking Tunisia's cooperation to prevent boats carrying migrants and asylum seekers from irregularly departing for Europe. According to the coverage, the EU has provided 105 million euros for interceptions at sea and border control activities in Tunisia under the migration component of the agreement, with at least 65 million euros already contracted to train and equip entities including the Tunisian Coast Guard and the Tunisian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.

The reports also emphasize that the agreement has not only failed to guarantee respect for refugees' and migrants' rights but has also undermined the EU's leverage to address the deteriorating human rights environment in the country. The organizations contend that EU-Tunisia cooperation, without effective human rights safeguards, has supported border control activities that include "reckless and violent interceptions at sea" and collective and summary expulsions without allowing individuals to claim international protection.

Key Claims

The joint statement, as reported by AllAfrica, asserts that the MoU has fueled and normalized serious human rights violations in Tunisia, including cases that have led to deaths. The organizations point to documented abuses by Tunisian security forces, including reckless and violent conduct during interceptions at sea, as well as torture, sexualized violence, and racist abuse reported by people rescued from distress at sea.

The statement also highlights specific financial commitments: the EU and its member states have provided 105 million euros for interceptions at sea and border control activities, with at least 65 million euros already contracted to train and equip the Tunisian Coast Guard and the Tunisian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre—entities the organizations describe as "abusive."

The rights groups further allege that Tunisian officials' racist rhetoric and discriminatory practices against Black Africans have fueled racist violence and racial profiling. They note that Tunisia lacks a functioning national asylum system, with the government having suspended UNHCR asylum registration and refugee status determination procedures since June 2024. The EU has designated Tunisia as a 'safe country of origin' despite documented human rights concerns, a move the organizations say contradicts the reality on the ground.

The statement also calls into question the European Commission's compliance with its legal obligations, asserting that the Commission has failed to demonstrate that continued funding, training, equipment, and operational support to Tunisian authorities complies with the EU's legal obligations and safeguards contained in its funding instruments.

Marie Michel, policy expert at SOS Humanity, is quoted in the statement describing accounts from people rescued at sea: "People we have rescued from distress at sea have shared with our crew harrowing accounts of torture, sexualized violence and racist abuse they've been subjected to in Tunisia." She added that the EU-backed Tunisian Coast Guard acts violently against people in distress and forces them back into a system of abuse, with a high risk of being deported to the desert or trafficked to Libya. "With every Euro paid to the security forces responsible, the EU is entrenching a system of abuse against people in need of protection," she said.

The organizations urge the European Commission and EU member states to immediately suspend border and migration control support to Tunisia, particularly to security forces responsible for serious violations. They call for a shift toward a human rights-based approach that embeds strong monitoring and accountability mechanisms and strengthens the rule of law instead of supporting authoritarian practices in partner countries.

The statement notes that the MoU was signed on July 16, 2023, despite objections by the European Parliament and concerns raised by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe over the lack of crucial safeguards. Since then, EU leadership has hailed the agreement as a "blueprint" for further deals with countries in the region, a framing the rights groups contest.