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Statement by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights on Migrants Stranded on the Maridive Tugboat
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) is closely following the situation of 41 migrants rescued on Friday, August 28, 2025, by the tugboat Maridive 208 after a distress call, under the coordination of the Maltese Search and Rescue Center. The rescue took place in the Maltese SAR zone, which, under international maritime law, requires their disembarkation at the nearest Maltese port. However, Maltese authorities have refused to receive them, and the Italian authorities have likewise declined to take responsibility for their humanitarian and legal obligations.
The migrants themselves reject any transfer to Tunisia, stressing that the country does not qualify as a safe place of disembarkation under international standards. This is due to the absence of a clear legal framework for asylum procedures and the suspension of application reviews since June 2024.
The Forum recalls that international maritime law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, and the Search and Rescue (SAR) Convention, clearly establishes:
The obligation to rescue all persons in distress at sea, regardless of nationality or legal status.
The duty of states to coordinate rescue and disembarkation within their search and rescue areas.
The requirement that disembarkation occurs in a safe location, where security, basic needs, and human rights are guaranteed, and where individuals are not exposed to abuse or danger.
On this basis, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights:
• Calls for the immediate provision of humanitarian assistance to the stranded migrants.
• Urges Maltese and Italian authorities to uphold their legal and international commitments and allow the rescued migrants to disembark in their ports, in line with international maritime obligations.
• Firmly rejects the policy of imposing Tunisia as a disembarkation and sorting platform for migrants, a practice that has been repeated in several similar cases.
• Denounces the interception of migrant boats departing from Libya by Tunisian authorities, given the absence of an adequate legal framework and the lack of logistical and material resources to manage such situations.
• Reaffirms that Tunisia cannot be considered a safe country for rescued migrants, in light of the suspension of asylum procedures since mid-2024 and the absence of protection mechanisms for refugees.
• Warns against opaque practices occurring off the Tunisian coast, involving interceptions and transfers of migrants to Tunisia, with no transparency in the related data.
Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights
Abderrahmane Hedhili, President
