Amnesty accuses Tunisia of migrant abuses, condemns EU for complicity

Amnesty International accused Tunisia of abusing migrants and refugees through violence and forced expulsions, and condemned the EU for aiding these violations via migration deals. The group urged both to end the abuses and uphold human rights.

Human rights group Amnesty International has accused Tunisia of committing “widespread human rights violations” against refugees and migrants, while also condemning the European Union for “risking complicity” through its cooperation with Tunisian authorities to curb irregular migration.

In a report released on Thursday, Amnesty criticized both Tunisia and the EU, arguing that their partnership—designed to prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean into Europe—has come at the expense of basic human rights. Tunisia, which the EU currently designates as a “safe” country, receives funding, training, and equipment in exchange for tightening its border controls. Neither Tunisian nor EU officials have responded to the allegations at the time of publication.

The report, based on three years of research and interviews with 120 refugees from nearly 20 countries including Guinea, Sudan, and Sierra Leone, accuses Tunisian authorities and border officials of committing serious abuses. These include rape and other sexual violence, torture, arbitrary detention, racial profiling, and forced expulsions to unsafe countries.

“The Tunisian authorities have presided over horrific human rights violations, stoking xenophobia while dealing blow after blow to refugee protection,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. She urged Tunisian authorities to halt collective expulsions and end racist incitement that endangers lives.

The organization warned that such expulsions violate the principle of non-refoulement—an international law that prohibits returning migrants to countries where they face potential persecution or serious harm.

Amnesty also accused the EU of complicity for failing to address these abuses, despite evidence they occur within the framework of its migration cooperation agreement with Tunisia. The group called on the EU to suspend funding for border control until meaningful human rights safeguards are implemented.

“The silence of the EU and its member states over these horrific abuses is particularly alarming,” Morayef added. “Each day the EU persists in recklessly supporting Tunisia’s dangerous assault on the rights of migrants and refugees … European leaders risk becoming complicit.”

Amnesty said the EU has prioritized border “containment” over human rights, echoing growing criticism that Europe is outsourcing its migration control to North African states without enforcing accountability.

The report follows similar concerns raised in September after reports that Libyan coast guards attacked a migrant rescue ship. Amnesty and other rights groups urged the European Commission to suspend cooperation with Libya, stating that “eight years of EU support have not improved these actors’ human rights records but instead legitimized abuses.”

The backlash led several sea-rescue NGOs to sever ties with Libya’s coast guard and form an independent rescue fleet. Despite mounting criticism, the European Commission has reiterated its commitment to “work with Libya in improving the human rights situation.”

The Central Mediterranean remains the deadliest migration route in the world, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) documenting more than 1,000 deaths and disappearances along the route in 2025 alone.