Since the beginning of the last decade, human rights violations have been escalating in the Middle East and North Africa. People have taken to the streets to protest against the dire political and economic conditions, and armed conflicts have ravaged many countries. Governments in the region have used violent tactics to subdue and silence dissenting voices and have systematically targeted political activists and journalists.

In August 2023, repressive regimes continued to target peaceful activists and journalists, suppress popular protests, and restrict public freedoms. In Eastern Europe, the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict claimed the lives of hundreds more civilians, and continues to cause the displacement of now millions of Ukrainians to neighbouring countries. The crisis has exposed the discriminatory double standards of European politicians, officials, journalists, and celebrities, who have called for embracing Ukrainian refugees as they share the same race, colour, and/or religion, unlike asylum seekers and migrants from regions outside Europe.

Last month, our team worked alongside partner organisations and dozens of other regional and international organisations to generate real change by speaking to decision-makers about practices and methodologies that must be addressed and reformed or abolished. We also harnessed the power of social media to virtually engage the public regarding issues that affect their rights, as well as human dignity as a whole.

On 10 August, Libyan and Tunisian authorities agreed to end the crisis of migrants stranded at the border and provide them with shelter.

Euro-Med Monitor had written to Tunisian authorities multiple times since the beginning of the migrant crisis at the Tunisian-Libyan border in July, urging them to stop deporting migrants and to respect their human dignity. The organisation had also written to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), to pressure Tunisian authorities to stop the persecution of migrants.