Sixteen Kurdish individuals from Sulaimani province, detained by Tunisian authorities earlier this month while attempting to illegally enter Europe, are expected to return to the Kurdistan Region after their trial concludes, according to Iraq’s foreign ministry.

Omer Barzanji, Iraq's deputy foreign minister, informed Rudaw that the trial is anticipated to last between two to three weeks. The detained individuals could each face a one-month prison sentence, but their detention period will be taken into account, possibly leading to their immediate release upon return to the Kurdistan Region.

The group was detained two months after Tunisia lifted visa requirements for Iraqi tourists. Muthana Amin, a member of Iraq’s parliamentary foreign relations committee, stated that smugglers have exploited the visa-free regime to engage in human trafficking and deceive individuals seeking to migrate.

Tunisia, located on the Mediterranean Sea, has become a key transit hub for people from the Middle East and Africa attempting to cross into Italy and further into Europe. Each year, tens of thousands of individuals from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region embark on dangerous journeys to Europe, driven by factors such as unemployment, political instability, and corruption.

In 2023 alone, around 20,000 people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region migrated, with at least nine tragically losing their lives on perilous smuggling routes, according to the Summit (Lutka) Foundation for Refugees and Displaced Affairs.