A Tunisian court has ordered the release of humanitarian workers jailed since 2023, bringing an end to more than 20 months of detention following a ruling delivered overnight from Monday into Tuesday.

The workers had been standing trial over allegations that they helped migrants enter and remain in the country illegally.

Six staff members of the Tunisian branch of the French NGO Terre d’Asile were charged with “facilitating the illegal entry and residence” of migrants. Their lawyers, however, insist the accused were carrying out humanitarian assistance for asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants under a programme approved by the Tunisian authorities.

Among those detained was the former director of the NGO, Sherifa Riahi, who, together with several colleagues, had been held for more than 20 months.
According to AFP, Riahi’s support committee shared a video on Facebook showing her leaving prison, confirming that the remaining detained humanitarian workers had also been released.

Lawyer Mahmoud Daoud Yaacoub, a member of Riahi’s defence team, told AFP that the court handed down a two-year suspended prison sentence to the detained defendants, including Sherifa Riahi.

“Tomorrow, we will learn the rest of the ruling concerning the defendants who are free,” he added.

The case also involves 17 members of the municipal council of Sousse, in eastern Tunisia, who are accused of allowing the NGO to operate from municipal premises.