Suicides of Tunisian migrants in Italian prisons on the rise
The number of suicides among Tunisian migrants in Italian prisons has been rising, raising serious concerns. Former MP and civil society activist Majdi Karbai drew attention to this troubling trend end of December, following the death of a Tunisian migrant in Piacenza prison, located in northern Italy. Karbai, alongside Tunisian NGOs, has been sounding the alarm for years about the dire conditions in which Tunisian migrants are detained in Italy, and the severe mental health repercussions they face.
According to Karbai, the latest death marks the tenth suicide of a Tunisian migrant in Italian prisons in 2024. While the identity of the deceased remains unknown, Karbai criticized both Tunisian and Italian authorities for their silence on these deaths, which he considers suspicious. In November, Fadi Ben Sassi, a 20-year-old Tunisian, died in an Italian prison, allegedly by suicide. His family later buried him. Earlier in March, another Tunisian migrant, a 29-year-old father, also died in unclear circumstances while in detention.
Although these deaths are often reported as isolated incidents in Tunisia, both Tunisian and Italian organizations have long condemned the mistreatment of Tunisian migrants in Italian detention centers and prisons. A 2022 survey conducted by Lawyers Without Borders, following the deaths of two Tunisian migrants, found that 88% of returning migrants reported experiencing physical and psychological abuse, which may have contributed to instances of self-harm and suicides.
In June 2024, Mustapha Laouini, a Tunisian official at the National Confederal Institute for Assistance in Italy, revealed that about 3,000 Tunisian migrants were being held in Italian prisons, further highlighting the gravity of the issue.
In another tragic development, on January 2, 2025, a Tunisian Civil Protection official reported the recovery of 27 bodies and the rescue of 83 others after two boats sank off the coast of Tunisia while attempting to illegally reach Europe. The boats, carrying around 110 passengers, were primarily made up of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
