Tunisia to investigate abuse of 41 children by French citizen

Tunisia’s Minister of Justice announced on Friday that he has ordered the Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Sousse open an investigation into a French citizen’s rape of 41 Tunisian children, Anadolu has reported.

Omar Mansour made his announcement in a press conference held jointly with the Women and Children’s Minister Sameera Meri in Tunis. “The French authorities issued letters rogatory at the end of 2015 about this issue and the Tunisian [Justice] ministry ordered the Court of First Instance in Sousse to initiate an investigation.”

The Assize Court of Yvelines in Paris had previously sentenced French aid worker Thierry Darantiere, 52, to 16 years in prison for raping or sexually abusing at least 66 boys, including 41 Tunisians, between 2002 and 2011.

Mansour stressed that the authorities want to deal with the physical and psychological damage done to the Tunisian children following their abuse by Darantiere.