Six staff members from the Tunisian office of the French NGO Terre d’Asile have been released from prison after a court handed them suspended sentences. They had been detained for over 20 months.
The workers were tried on charges of facilitating the illegal entry and residence of migrants. Defense lawyers argued the aid was part of a government-approved program to assist asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants.
Their release occurred overnight from Monday to Tuesday. The support committee for former office director Sherifa Riahi posted a video of her leaving prison and confirmed the others were also freed.
A lawyer from Riahi’s defense team stated the court issued a two-year suspended prison sentence to the detained defendants. The lawyer said the team is now awaiting verdicts for other co-defendants who were not in custody.
