24 Tunisian fishermen released in Libya as goodwill gesture

Libyan authorities released three fishing boats in Al-Zawiya port with 24 Tunisian fishermen who were detained at sea two days ago, according to the Head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, Mustafa Abdelkabir, who spoke on radio on Monday.

Abdelkabir said that the Libyan authorities intercepted Tunisian fishing boats last Friday, with 24 fishermen on board from Sfax and Mahdia, and two days later they were released.

Detention of Tunisian fishermen in Libya in recent years; has become recurrent, the last of which was less than two weeks ago on April 05, when six fishermen, who had been detained for more than a month in Libya, were released.

The Libyan authorities accuse Tunisian fishermen of violating the territorial waters without prior permission, stressing that the efforts of the Coast Guard patrols are focused on closely monitoring illegal immigration boats and illegal boats that may smuggle contraband or fuel.