The Head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, Mustafa Abdel Kabir, criticized the continued detention of more than 50 Tunisians in Libya, including two minors, according to his statement.
Abdel Kabir said that Libyan authorities seized more than 25 vehicles, which were transferred into Libya, and that the detainees were being held in a prison in Tripoli. He called on the Tunisian and Libyan authorities to address the ongoing issues and what he described as “repeated assaults on Tunisian citizens.”
He acknowledged what he called a “shared failure” in managing the border crossing and implementing decisions that would facilitate travel for passengers, noting that “ordinary people are paying the price.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior of the Government of National Unity has pledged to continue its efforts to combat smuggling in all its forms and to take deterrent measures to protect the national economy and strengthen public security.
Tunisian authorities had previously sentenced a Libyan citizen to five years in prison for smuggling 150 kilograms of couscous. This sparked angry reactions in public and led to an increase in the detention of Tunisian fuel smugglers and a tightening of anti-smuggling measures, which Tunisian media have described as cross-border trade.
