Tunisia: National Council of Liberties shut down by police
Since the 18 May 2007 the building housing the offices of the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT), has been surrounded by a large contingent of political police who are preventing the staff of the CNLT from getting into their offices. The CNLT has effectively been shut down following a joint Human Rights First and Front Line mission to Tunisia from 20-24 May 2007 to assess the human rights situation there.
Further Information
On 6 June 2007 a delegation of representatives of Tunisian civil society attempted to go to the offices of the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT), which they share with the newspaper Kalima, as a demonstration of solidarity. The delegation included among others the president of the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH), maître Mokhtar Trifi, Ali Ben Salem president of the Bizerte branch of LTDH, as well as two other members of the staff Abdeljabbar Maddahi et Mohamed Ben Said; maître Mondher Cherni representative of Struggle Against Torture; the directors of the National Forum for Work and Freedom (FDTL) Dr Khelil Ezzaouia et Zakia Dhifaoui; journalists Lotfi Hajji, Mahmoud Dhaouadi, Slim Boukhdhir and Sahbi Smara. They were also accompanied by leading members of the CNLT.
But a large number of plain clothes policemen blocked their way to Avenue de la Liberté, preventing them from gaining access to the street where the offices of CNLT are located despite their strong protests at this breach of their right to freedom of movement and their right to visit their colleagues.
During this period they have been forcibly removed from inside the building and have even been prevented from walking along the streets near the building. In addition they have been forbidden to sit in the any of the nearby cafés and have been threatened with violence if they don't move on. Despite repeated requests these officers have refused to show any means of identification or to show any legal document to justify their behaviour.
During the Human Rights First and Front Line mission, delegates met with human rights defenders including, the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT) and independent judges between 20 and 24 of May 2007. The delegates also met with international representatives, including European and American diplomats and the Tunisian Ministry of Justice.
On 24 May 2007, Mohammed Abbou one of Tunisia’s leading human rights defenders was forcibly dragged from a meeting with his family simply because his wife Samia mentioned that she had met a joint Front Line and Human Rights First mission in Tunisia to investigate the situation for human rights defenders.
Samia Abbou had travelled to El Kef prison for her weekly meeting with her husband together with representatives of Front Line and Human Rights First. On previous visits Samia Abbou has been physically attacked, threatened and harassed. Speaking outside El Kef prison Front Line Protection Coordinator, Natacha O'Brien said: "The attack on Mohammed and Samia Abbou is emblematic of what we have witnessed throughout our five day joint mission to Tunisia where human rights defenders and their families are victims of heightened repression.”
During Samia Abbou’s subsequent visit, on 31 May 2007, she was further harassed and threatened by senior staff at el Kef prison, who told her that if she discussed human rights or mentioned international organisations she would be prevented from visiting her husband. She met with her husband for 15 minutes, during which time ten members of the police force were present, with one police officer taking notes of their conversation. There has been an increase of security personnel outside her home and her eldest son was followed by security while he was going to the shops.
Front Line is extremely concerned by reports of harassment of several human rights defenders. Lassad Jouhri, human rights defender and founder of the L'association International pour la Défense des Prisonniers Politiques - AISPP (International Association for the Support of Political Prisoners) was arrested at 8.00 am on 24 May 2007. The day prior to his arrest he had agreed to accompany Front Line and Human Rights First to El Kef prison with Samia Abbou. He was held in a police station in the neighbourhood of Mannouba. He was subsequently released at 8.00pm on the same day. Two of his fingers have been reportedly fractured as a result of ill-treatment while in police custody. Front Line believes the action taken by the authorities is a direct result of the joint Front Line and Human Rights First mission.
The Tunisian authorities also physically prevented Tunisian human rights defenders from participating in a training workshop for human rights defenders organised by Front Line in the offices of CNLT between 18 and 20 May 2007.
Freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of assembly remain severely limited in Tunisia. Human rights defenders are frequently subjected to harassment, intimidation, physical assault, arbitrary arrests and detentions and ill-treatment while in custody.
Human Rights First is an international human rights organization based in New York and Washington D.C that works to protect people at risk including: refugees who flee persecution, victims of human rights violations, victims of discrimination, those whose rights are eroded in the name of national security, and human rights defenders.