Judges in Strasbourg have said Italy violated the human rights of three undocumented Tunisian migrants who fled the unrest of the Arab Spring four years ago.
The three men — Saber Khlaifia, Fakhreddine Tabal and Mohamed Sfar — left their home country in 2011 amid the turmoil of anti-government protests.
The European Court of Human Rights, which is not an EU body, said they had been kept in inhumane and “appalling” conditions on the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Judges ruled that European governments should provide adequate reception facilities and assess asylum cases individually.
The three men had been repatriated on the basis of a bilateral agreement with Tunisia.