The number of asylum seekers in Tunisia is on the rise. In the absence of a legal framework that guarantees their basic rights, these individuals remain vulnerable, dependent on the good will of civil society organizations and the potential kindness of Tunisians. Yet article 26 of the Constitution guarantees the right to political asylum.
They arrived in La Marsa from Choucha refugee camp in June 2017, and were supposed to stay for a few days time while their situation was worked out. But still today, the 34 exiles remain in La Marsa. After fleeing Libya in 2011, their asylum applications were rejected in 2012 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They eagerly hoped for the re-examination of their files during the six years they spent in Choucha. Eight months after their arrival in La Marsa’s youth center, their living conditions have severely deteriorated and the competent authorities have abandoned their case.
