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All News items from Tunisia

Dublin: Open letter to President of the Republic of Tunisia expressing concern regarding the adoption of an amendment criminalising contacts between Tunisian human rights defenders and EU institutionsposted on: 2010/07/22

A coalition of international human rights organisations, including Front Line, today (Thursday 22 July 2010) called on the Government of Tunisia expressing their deep concern regarding a newly adopted amendment to the Criminal Code of Tunisia that risks to further hinder the work carried out by Tunisian human rights defenders and undermine the protection and promotion of human rights in the country.

Tunisia: break-in in the office of human rights lawyer Radhia Nasraouiposted on: 2010/05/12

The office of human rights lawyer Radhia Nasraoui, in Tunis, was broken into during the night between 30 April to 1 May 2010. A computer, containing documents of cases Radhia Nasraoui is working on, was taken. This is the fifth time her office has been entered and documents stolen.

Tunisia – Update: Journalist Taoufik Ben Brik released from prison posted on: 2010/04/29

On 26 April 2010, journalist Mr Taoufik Ben Brik was finally released from prison. He was sentenced on 26 November 2009 to six months detention for his articles critical of President Ben Ali, at the end of a trial marred by violations of fair trial guarantees.

Tunis: Release of human rights defender Zakia Dhifaouiposted on: 2008/11/12

Front Line welcomes the release of human rights defender Zakia Dhifaoui,member of the Kairouan section of the Ligue tunisienne des droits de l'Homme (Tunisian League of Human Rights)(LTDH), on the 5th of November 2008. Zakia Dhifaoui was released under a Presidential amnesty.

Tunisia: Release of human rights defender Slim Boukhdirposted on: 2008/07/24

Front Line welcomes the release of human rights defender and journalist Slim Boukhdir on 21 July 2008. Slim Boukhdir was arrested on 26 November 2007 and sentenced to one year's imprisonment on 18 January 2008. He was detained in Sfax prison, 230 kilometres south of Tunis. His release comes four months before the end of his sentence.

Tunisia: Arbitrary detention and interrogation of human rights defenders Sihem Bensedrine and Omar Mestiriposted on: 2008/06/23

On 18 June 2008, Sihem Bensedrine and Omar Mestiri were stopped at the Tunisian-Algerian border while on their way to an event in Algeria to promote freedom of expression in the region. They were interrogated for approximately two and a half hours before being released. No reasons were given for their interrogation. Omar Mestiri is the chief editor of the online newspaper Kalima and Sihem Bensedrine is the founder and spokesperson of the Conseil national pour les libertés en Tunisie (CNLT) (National Council for Civil Liberties in Tunisia) and the Secretary-General for the Observatoire pour la Liberté de presse, d'édition et de création en Tunisie (OLPEC) (Observatory for the Freedom of the Press, Publication, and the Arts in Tunisia). On 7 February 2008, Sihem Bensedrine was awarded the 2008 Peace Prize by the Danish Peace Foundation.

Released: Tunisian human rights defender Mohammed Abbou freed from prison and reunited with his family.posted on: 2007/07/24

Mohamed Abbou jailed for three and a half years in 2005 for disrupting public order and defaming the judiciary with an article condemning detention conditions in Tunisia was released on 24 July 2007. Front Line has lobbied intensively on this case which was also raised directly with the Tunisian authorities during the Front Line mission to Tunisia in May this year.

Tunisia: National Council of Liberties shut down by policeposted on: 2007/06/18

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.

Tunisia: Front Line welcomes decision to dismiss the case against human rights defender Omar Mestiriposted on: 2007/03/12

Front Line welcomes the decision to dismiss the case against the HRD Omar Mestiri after the plantiff retracted charges against him, following the trial which took place on 28 August 2007.

Brutal assault of Tunisian human rights defenderposted on: 2007/02/28

Samia Abbou, wife of eminent lawyer and human rights defender, Mohammed Abbou, was subjected to a brutal assault on 7 December. She and three other leading Tunisian human rights defenders were attacked and beaten outside El Kef prison, near Tunis, by a group of about forty men in civilian clothing.

Samia Abbou traveled to El Kef to visit her imprisoned husband with human rights defenders; Moncef Marzouki, former president of the National Committee for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT) and the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) Salim Boukhdhir, a well known Journalist and Samir ben Amor, founding member of the International Association for the Support of Political Prisoner. According to reports, police stopped the car in which they were traveling on a number of occasions throughout the journey to El Kef and were present outside the prison at the time of the assault.

Human Rights Defenders brutally beaten in Tunisiaposted on: 2006/03/13

5 March 2005

Front Line has condemned the violent repression of human rights defenders in Tunisia. On the 4th of March hundreds of police brutally assaulted peaceful human rights defenders and members of opposition political parties as they attempted to gather for a demonstration. Human rights lawyer Radhia Nasraoui (left) was badly beaten which resulted in a broken nose, damage to her arm and back, cuts and severe bruising. Her daughter who was also beaten required stitches to her head.

Following news of the Tunisian Government's invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to attend the UN World Summit on the Information Society in November, several protests took place in various parts of the country to protest against the decision. Tunisian human rights defenders called for Sharon to be prosecuted as a war criminal for the massacres of civilians. The violent repression on the 4th of March is part of a pattern of attacks on human rights defenders by the Tunisian authorities.

Tunisia: Alongside a world summit, the police ban a gathering of international and Tunisian associationsposted on: 2006/02/26

November 14 2005 The Tunisian authorities prevented Tunisian and foreign associations to hold a meeting in order to prepare an event within the World Summit on the Information Society on the morning of 14th November. This was a preparatory meeting for the “Citizen’s Summit on the Information Society” to debate the topics mentioned within the agenda of the WSIS, which is sponsored by the United Nations.

Police prevent a gathering of international and Tunisians NGOsposted on: 2005/11/16

15 November 2005

The Tunisian authorities prevented foreign and Tunisian associations, including Front Line, from holding a meeting to organize a “Citizens Summit” in parallel with the UN World Summit on Information Technology(WSIS)in Tunis on Monday 14th November.

Front Line, together with other NGOs, cancelled planned parallel events in the main conference centre which should have been held on Tuesday 15th November as a protest against the activities of the Tunisian authorities and the ongoing harassment of Tunisian human rights defenders.

Over fifty policemen, who refused to identify themselves, prevented NGO members from entering the German Cultural Centre in Tunis. They shoved the participants and pushed one to the ground.

The Citizen’s Summit on Information Society official website has also been blocked in Tunisia and is only accessible from The WSIS Media Centre.

Andrew Anderson, Deputy Director of Front Line was one of the participants.

“ It is outrageous that the Tunisian authorities are using these bullying tactics at a world summit. They are showing a visible contempt for freedom of association and assembly.”

Tunisian human rights defender remains in prisonposted on: 2005/11/14

21 September 2005

The final preparatory committee for the upcoming UN World Summit on Information Technology (WSIS) in Tunis in November, which discusses the future of the Internet, is currently being held in Geneva. Paradoxically, human rights defender and lawyer Mr Mohammed Abbou remains imprisoned in Tunis for exercising his freedom of expression on the very medium up for discussion.

Front Line’s Deputy Director, Andrew Anderson and representatives from other international human rights organisations went to Geneva to raise their objections on the imprisonment of Mr Abbou and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tunisia, particularly the numerous repressive restrictions on the media and the Internet.

Mary Lawlor, Director of Front Line said: "President Zine el-Abidene Ben Ali approved the final statement of the last WSIS that stipulates that freedom of expression is an ‘essential foundation’ of the information society. It should be inconceivable that an international summit on the information society is to be held in a country that shows no respect for freedom of expression. Mohammed Abbou should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

Death of Tunisian Human Rights Defender Zouheir Yahyaouiposted on: 2005/03/19

Front Line is saddened by reports of the death of Tunisian human rights defender Zouheir Yahyaoui, who died on 13th March 2005 following a heart attack. Zouheir Yahyaoui died at the age of 36, having formerly spent 18 months in prison, during which time he was tortured and detained in degrading conditions. As a result of these conditions, Zouheir Yahyaoui underwent 3 hunger strikes to protest against his imprisonment. In his capacity as a human rights defender Zouheir Yahyaoui ran a website known as ‘Tunezine’ www.tunezine.com which is censored in Tunisia as a result of its reporting of human rights abuses and its provision of forums for open discussion. Zouhair Yahyaoui was sentenced to 2 years in prison on 20 June 2002 following his publication of a letter that his uncle, the judge Mokthar Yahyaoui, had sent to the president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, denouncing the functioning of the legal-justice system in Tunisia. Zouhair Yahyaoui was granted a conditional release in November 2003. In June 2003 he was awarded the ‘CyberLiberty’ award by the Reporters Sans Frontières, who commended his ‘contribution to the freedom of information on the internet’.