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Exactly one month ago, on the occasion of the Italian government and European Commission’s “visit” to Tunis to demand an agreement on the forced return of irregular Tunisian migrants, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, a leading Tunisian civil society organisation working for social justice, sustainable development and socioeconomic cohesion, wrote an open letter to President Kais Saied and European representatives. We translated the letter, which expresses the perspective of people on the southern shore — a perspective our entrenched Eurocentrism barely allows us to recognise. Through this contribution, we serve the many-sided nature of truth and train ourselves to question whether we can always be in the right. The Italian translation is by Giusy Rossi.
Tunisia, Italy, migration: an open letter
The Italian ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior, and the European commissioners for Home Affairs and Neighbourhood Policy, are visiting Tunisia this Monday, 17 August 2020, as part of an endless series of pressures on Tunisia to secure a new migration agreement.
Mr President of the Republic,
The recent migration crisis has shown that Tunisia now needs a new awareness, reforming its relations with the European Union and its member countries and adopting a more comprehensive approach to resolving problems associated with irregular migration.
Most agreements signed between Tunisia and the EU have established unequal access to rights and freedom of movement, failing to meet citizens’ legitimate aspirations, particularly those of Tunisians, for fair treatment. This double standard on rights requires a complete review, moving us away from our current position as “honest guards” and “model collaborators” towards full partnership, with respect for rights and freedoms, Tunisia’s sovereignty and its citizens’ dignity.
Mr President of the Republic,
You face Italian pressure for a new migration agreement legalising the forced collective expulsion of Tunisians, in flagrant violation of international treaties and covenants.
Expulsion processes, which would normally require complex administrative procedures, continue to end in Italian authorities penalising migrants in custody for not having valid identity documents.
From the moment they arrive, all irregular migrants face stigmatisation and measures taken without any assessment of their individual circumstances and without receiving the information needed to understand their rights.
The forced collective expulsion of irregular migrants is tainted by violations of the law and of the rights and freedoms of those expelled, in a complete absence of transparency. Migrants are often subjected to degrading treatment, torture, arbitrary detention and frequently excessive force when fingerprints are taken. Expulsion decisions cannot be appealed, and migrants receive neither impartial interpretation nor adequate legal support. These forced collective expulsions violate Articles 3, 4 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights and international law — the 1951 UN Convention and its 1967 amending Protocol — which require certain conditions to be respected before carrying out expulsions.
Mr President of the Republic,
In receiving the European–Italian delegation today, we hope you will uphold the primacy of humanity, rights and freedoms, and fair bilateral cooperation based on an “exchange of freedoms” with our partners. We also hope you will preserve our sovereignty and our fellow citizens’ dignity. This can only be achieved by developing an inclusive national migration strategy that safeguards rights and freedoms.
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italian Minister of the Interior,
Today in Tunisia you seek to fulfil your wish to expel more migrants to Tunisia. We remind you that you yourselves have said Italy is receiving fewer migrants than in previous years, 2015–2018; that Tunisia is undergoing an economic, social and political crisis; and that you wish to continue supporting the “Tunisian experience”. Your country suffers major labour shortages in numerous sectors. It might be worth negotiating an agreement with Tunisia facilitating the migration of seasonal workers.
Your lack of cooperation in the cases of Tunisian migrants missing at sea clearly reveals your one-sided understanding of cooperation. Photographs and videos from certain Italian detention centres demonstrate systematic physical and psychological violations against Tunisian migrants and their dignity.
You want to earn the trust of your voters and fellow citizens. But this must not be achieved by violating migrants’ rights, intimidating them or threatening neighbouring countries. It should be achieved by helping build a Mediterranean region that is fairer, more peaceful and more supportive, guaranteeing rights and freedoms. For everyone.
European Union Commissioners,
International agreements are generally founded on reciprocity between contracting states and negotiated on a basis of equality. Yet freedom of movement between Tunisia and the EU appears to be granted to one side alone.
Through its restrictive visa policy and its selection of particular social categories, the EU aggravates and perpetuates inequalities between them.
The EU seeks more open channels between Tunisia and Europe for goods, services and capital, but not for the free movement of people, despite asserting that it wants to adapt to the region’s post-revolutionary contexts and the challenges its countries face.
The EU and its countries must demonstrate their professed respect for the rights and freedoms of citizens on the southern shore and substantiate what they call their “permanent support for Tunisia”. The EU must call on its member states to release irregular Tunisian migrants held in detention centres in Italy, Spain and elsewhere.
Tunisia’s political and human rights gains are fragile. They are threatened by the country’s deteriorating economic and social situation and by unequal partnership agreements that deepen the social crisis and undermine its democratic transition.
Decision-makers,
Those who believe in human rights and freedoms continue their struggle in Tunisia, Italy and on both shores in defence of migrants’ rights. They help save lives and work for a more peaceful, supportive Mediterranean and world. They will not be discouraged by the anti-migration and anti-migrant approaches emerging on both sides. They will reject laws or agreements introducing measures that confiscate rights and perpetuate discrimination.
Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights
President Abderrahmane El Hedhili
Tunis, 17 August 2020.
