Summary:

A Tunisian asylum seeker in Italy was granted asylum following an appeals process after an initial denial. The Italian judge who granted the asylum request cited the deterioration of the rule of law and concerns about human rights in the ruling.

Outlook:  

We will be watching developments following this story, particularly to see whether this particular ruling sets a precedent or proves to be an isolated incident. There is obvious concern that the ruling may incite other Tunisians to attempt the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean via irregular migration routes. Additionally, the ruling may lead to additional diplomatic tensions in Tunisia’s relationship with Italy which is already strained over the irregular migration issue. Tensions are particularly heightened in light of the recent efforts by Tunisia to repatriate a young girl who was smuggled to Italy without her family.