Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I share the Deputy's concern. The Belgian and Portuguese foreign ministers visited Tunisia recently and met with its Government on behalf of the EU foreign ministers to articulate these concerns and to undertake a fact-finding analysis and meet people on the ground. They provided useful insights in their subsequent presentation to the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting. We have been consistently using international forums to address this question. Ireland called on Tunisia to take all necessary steps to protect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and association during Tunisia's universal period of review on human rights in November 2022. The EU, as a body, continues to prioritise human rights as part of its engagement with Tunisia. The statement recently released jointly by the EU and Tunisia, as part of the recent visit of President von der Leyen and Prime Ministers Rutte and Meloni, outlined key features in that regard and, in particular, respect for human rights-----

See this speech in context