Latest Tunisia News

As crisis escalates in Tunisia, lawyers strike over arrested colleague they say was tortured

May. 16, 2024 11:39 AM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Lawyers in Tunisia took to the streets on Thursday to protest a string of recent arrests that have convulsed the country over the past week and provoked international outcry. The demonstration in the North African country's capital came days after two lawyers...

2 journalists in detention in Tunisia as authorities launch wave of arrests against critics

May. 15, 2024 12:15 PM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Two journalists were kept under detention in Tunisia on Wednesday, following a raft of arrests targeting government critics including lawyers and the press that has drawn concern from the country's international allies. Authorities in the north African...

Tunisian lawyers call for strike over arrest of their colleague amid crackdown on dissent

May. 12, 2024 13:12 PM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Hooded police raided Tunisia’s bar association headquarters and arrested a lawyer as authorities escalated a broad government crackdown that has ensnared political dissidents, non-governmental organizations and Black migrants. Sonia Dahmani, a prominent...

Tent camps razed and activists arrested as Tunisia clamps down on migrants

May. 09, 2024 14:12 PM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tensions in Tunisia ratcheted up as demonstrators seeking better rights for migrants staged a sit-in before European Union headquarters on Thursday, capping a week in which Tunisian authorities targeted migrant communities from the coast to the capital with arrests and the...

EU announces 1 billion euros in aid for Lebanon amid a surge in irregular migration

May. 02, 2024 16:37 PM EDT

BEIRUT (AP) — The European Union announced Thursday an aid package for Lebanon of 1 billion euros — about $1.06 billion — much of which will go to boost border control to halt the flow of asylum seekers and migrants from the small, crisis-wracked country across the Mediterranean Sea to Cyprus...

Tunisian opposition wants political prisoners freed before taking part in presidential election

Apr. 30, 2024 22:18 PM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s main opposition coalition said Tuesday it won’t take part in the North African country’s upcoming presidential election unless President Kais Saied’s political opponents are freed and judicial independence is restored. More than 20 political...

Tunisian Jews scale back annual pilgrimage to ancient synagogue because of security concerns

Apr. 22, 2024 07:33 AM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Jewish Tunisians who organize an annual pilgrimage to one of the world’s oldest synagogues are planning a scaled-down event next month, citing concerns about security less than a year after a deadly shooting there shook their community. Thousands regularly...

Tunisian journalist sentenced to 6 months in prison for insulting an official

Apr. 18, 2024 09:31 AM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A judge in Tunisia sentenced a journalist and political commentator to six months in prison in the country's latest assault on members of the media who criticize the government. Mohamed Boughalleb, who had been charged with insulting a public official, was...

Italy's leader keeps the focus on migration on her fourth visit to Tunisia in a year

Apr. 17, 2024 14:17 PM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The head of Italy's right-wing government acknowledged Wednesday that Tunisia cannot serve as a dumping ground for migrants, days after Tunisia's president reaffirmed his unwillingness to let Europe outsource migration problems by sending those not welcome there to his...

Tunisia sentences 4 to death over pivotal 2013 assassination

Mar. 27, 2024 14:01 PM EDT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Four people were sentenced Wednesday to death and two to life in prison for a murder that sparked widespread unrest in Tunisia and became emblematic of the country's early challenges transitioning from dictatorship to democracy after the Arab Spring. Chokri...