Sherifa Riahi

Background and Work

Sherifa Riahi served as the legal representative of a Tunisian civil society organization engaged in migration and human rights work. Tunisia has become a major transit and destination country for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, and organizations like Riahi's have provided legal aid, humanitarian assistance, and advocacy in an increasingly hostile political environment.

Since 2023, the Tunisian government has intensified its rhetoric and legal action against civil society actors involved in migration issues. President Kais Saied has repeatedly accused such organizations of facilitating irregular migration and undermining state sovereignty. This climate set the stage for the prosecution of Riahi and her organization.

The Arrest and Charges

Riahi was arrested on 7 May 2024. The charges brought against her and the organization included money laundering, conspiracy against state security, complicity in abusing an official's status for undue advantage and harm to the administration, and aiding, transporting, and sheltering foreign nationals in an irregular situation in Tunisia.

The charge of aiding irregular migrants criminalized assistance that international humanitarian and refugee law may require or permit. The conspiracy and money-laundering charges transformed civil society funding and programming into national-security threats. These are charges typically reserved for terrorism, organized crime, or corruption—not for organizations providing legal and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations.

Legal Proceedings and Dismissal

The case proceeded through the Tunisian courts over the following months. On 26 February 2025, the court ruled not to hear the case against the organization and its legal representative. This procedural decision effectively dismissed all charges and ended the prosecution.

The court did not issue a substantive acquittal or address the merits of the charges. The ruling left open questions about whether future prosecutions on similar grounds might proceed under different procedural circumstances. The nine-month duration of the case nonetheless subjected Riahi and her organization to sustained legal pressure and public stigma.

Context and Implications

Riahi's prosecution is part of a wider pattern in Tunisia. Civil society organizations working on migration, human rights, and political accountability have faced arrests, asset freezes, travel bans, and judicial harassment since President Saied's 2021 suspension of parliament and consolidation of executive power. The charges against Riahi mirrored those used against journalists, trade unionists, lawyers, and other defenders.

The criminalization of assistance to migrants has had a chilling effect across the Tunisian civil society sector. Organizations have scaled back programming, closed offices, or ceased public advocacy for fear of prosecution. Legal representatives like Riahi bear personal risk for the institutional work they facilitate.

The dismissal of charges against Riahi offers limited relief in a context where the legal framework remains unchanged and the political will to prosecute defenders persists. Her case demonstrates how procedural outcomes can end individual prosecutions without addressing the systemic use of criminal law to silence dissent and solidarity.