The 82-year-old Swiss-Tunisian dual national had campaigned for the rights of refugees. His imprisonment is part of a wave of repression by the government against civil society, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Keystone-SDA
An 81-year-old Swiss-Tunisian dual national is being held in a Tunisian prison. The former manager of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) was arrested a year ago, according to Amnesty International.
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The dual national had campaigned for the rights of refugees. His imprisonment is part of a wave of repression by the Tunisian government against civil society, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
In 2016, the man founded the organisation “Conseil Tunisien pour les Refugies” (CTR). This group helps with the pre-registration of asylum-seekers and the provision of basic assistance, working closely with UNHCR, Amnesty said.
In May 2024, his organisation published an advertisement seeking hotels to accommodate asylum-seekers and people seeking protection in precarious situations. According to Amnesty, Tunisian media and social networks claim that the CTR is encouraging the settlement of illegal migrants.
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Amnesty is calling for his immediate release. It says the 81-year-old is being held in a cell with around 30 other inmates and is suffering from the heat and lack of medication.
The Swiss foreign ministry is following developments closely, it told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Wednesday. The Swiss embassy in Tunisia and the ministry’s main office have intervened at a high level with the Tunisian authorities on the man’s behalf.
The embassy is providing consular protection and is in close contact with the man’s relatives and the relevant local authorities.
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Translated from German by DeepL/sb
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