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.
