World
Tunisian coastal guards approach a boat at sea carrying people attempting to reach Italy on April 18, 2023. Photo: AP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sixteen Kurds from Sulaimani province, who were detained by Tunisian authorities earlier this month for attempting to illegally enter Europe, will return to the Kurdistan Region after their trial ends, Iraq’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The trial of the 16 individuals who were detained last week “is expected to last for two to three weeks. Each of them could be sentenced to one month in prison,” Omer Barzanji, Iraqi deputy foreign minister, told Rudaw on Saturday.
Their detention period will be considered if they are sentenced, meaning they may be immediately released upon their return to the Kurdistan Region, the Iraqi official added.
Their detention came two months after Tunisia lifted visa requirements for Iraqi tourists.
Muthana Amin, a member of Iraqi parliament’s foreign relations committee, told Rudaw last Saturday that smugglers have exploited the visa free regime to “trick people and engage in human trafficking.”
Tunisia, which is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, has been used as a hub by many individuals from the Middle East and Africa seeking to cross into Italy illegally and then reach their destinations in Europe.
Tens of thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region take on perilous routes towards Europe on a yearly basis in hopes of escaping the endless crises in the country, including the lack of employment, political instability, and corruption.
Around 20,000 people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region migrated out of the country in 2023, with at least nine of them losing their lives on the dangerous and illegal smuggling routes, according to the Summit (Lutka) Foundation for Refugees and Displaced Affairs.
The trial of the 16 individuals who were detained last week “is expected to last for two to three weeks. Each of them could be sentenced to one month in prison,” Omer Barzanji, Iraqi deputy foreign minister, told Rudaw on Saturday.
Their detention period will be considered if they are sentenced, meaning they may be immediately released upon their return to the Kurdistan Region, the Iraqi official added.
Their detention came two months after Tunisia lifted visa requirements for Iraqi tourists.
Muthana Amin, a member of Iraqi parliament’s foreign relations committee, told Rudaw last Saturday that smugglers have exploited the visa free regime to “trick people and engage in human trafficking.”
Tunisia, which is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, has been used as a hub by many individuals from the Middle East and Africa seeking to cross into Italy illegally and then reach their destinations in Europe.
Tens of thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region take on perilous routes towards Europe on a yearly basis in hopes of escaping the endless crises in the country, including the lack of employment, political instability, and corruption.
Around 20,000 people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region migrated out of the country in 2023, with at least nine of them losing their lives on the dangerous and illegal smuggling routes, according to the Summit (Lutka) Foundation for Refugees and Displaced Affairs.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment