Migrants in detention center go on hunger strike in fear of coronavirus
Migrants in a Tunis detention center went on a hunger strike to protest bad conditions that aren't improving amid the coronavirus outbreak despite calls by rights organizations that prisoners be released.
Migrants at a holding facility near Tunis have been on a hunger strike since April 6 to protest their continuing detention and mistreatment as well as the absence of coronavirus infection prevention measures.
To date, there are 780 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 35 deaths among the civilian population, while no cases have been recorded among the prison population.
Tunisia has been in a state of total confinement with a nightly curfew since March 21 as part of efforts to stem the spread of the virus. On March 31, President Kais Saied released 1,420 prisoners in order to reduce the spread.
Meanwhile, calls from human rights organizations to release prisoners have increased. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on March 25 for “relevant authorities to work quickly to reduce the number of people in detention.” Similar appeals by the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees followed.
