Forensic scientists in Tunisia have emphasized the importance of identifying and cataloging the bodies of those who drown in the Mediterranean, in case any of their relatives come looking for them in the future. Yet dozens of migrants who drowned off Tunisia last month will likely remain unidentified.
Tunisian authorities in the course of two days blocked nine departures of at least 200 migrants who wanted to irregularly reach Italian coasts.
Finance police in Palermo have seized assets worth 1.5 million euros from a 40-year-old Tunisian citizen suspected of trafficking migrants. The move was part of a probe coordinated by the State attorney's office in the Sicilian city, investigative sources said on June 25.
The NGO ship Ocean Viking rescued 118 migrants in the Mediterranean in two separate operations on Thursday. Meanwhile, rescue ship Alan Kurdi has been released by Italian authorities but is not yet ready to set off on a new mission.
Austria has declared that it supports hardline changes to European asylum laws proposed by Germany. The two countries want migrants stopped at Europe’s external borders and turned away if they do not have a strong claim for asylum.
A video about a policeman humiliating Tunisian migrants in Italy has sparked controversy after going viral. It shows a police officer slapping a migrant and forcing other refugees to slap each other as "punishment" for having tried to escape from a migrant reception center. The incident led to the police officer being placed under investigation for abuse of correction methods.
The Centre for Development Information and Education (CIES) and the Tunisian Union of Social Solidarity (UTSS) have launched the first training course on "Socio-economic inclusion of migrants." It targets municipalities and civil society organizations in Tunisia.
The number of bodies recovered from a shipwreck off Tunisia has risen to 53. The African country is both a transit country for migrants from other African countries and a source of Europe-bound migrants.
The bodies of 20 people have been recovered from a shipwreck in waters off Tunisia. A search is underway for 30 others believed to have set off for Italy last Thursday night.
A group of migrants has filed a legal complaint against their arbitrary detention in the el Ouardia Center in Tunis. Four human rights groups have issued a statement saying that the facility is operating as an illegal detention center.
Tunisian authorities in recent days have stopped various attempts by migrants to illegally depart for Europe. During their operations, the authorities also seized cash linked to criminal activity.
An Italian prosecutor's office has upheld jail sentences imposed on six individuals of Italian and Tunisian nationality that ran ''luxury'' trips between Tunisia and Sicily for migrants. The ruse was discovered in a 2017 operation against clandestine migration.