On 26 November 2010, human rights defender Mr Ali Ben Salem, aged 78 years, was prevented from leaving on a flight from Tunis-Carthage airport to Barcelona, where he was due to take part in a number of events related to his human rights work.
Further Information
Ali Ben Salem is a founding member of several human rights organisations in Tunisia, including the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia(CNLT) and the Association of Former Members of the Resistance (ANAR). He is also president of the Bizerte branch of the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH).
On 26 November 2010, Ali Ben Salem arrived at Tunis-Carthage airport to take a flight to Barcelona, Spain. Around 8:00am, the border police prevented him from leaving the country on the pretext of legal proceedings against him, in particular libel proceedings instituted against Ali Ben Salem in June 2006, following a press release he published on behalf of the LTDH on the treatment of political prisoners in Tunisia.
Since the case was opened in 2006, it has remained at the stage of preparation for eventual judgement.