Tunisia
20.04.01
Urgent Interventions
Tunisia: Vice-President of the LTDH assaulted by members of the Tunis police force
URGENT APPEAL – THE OBSERVATORY
TUN 003/0401/OBS 034
Assault/Confiscation of documents
TUNISIA
20 April 2001
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your urgent international intervention in the following situation in Tunisia.
Description of the facts :
The Observatory has been informed by the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) and the National Council for Freedom in Tunisia (CNLT) that Mrs. Souhayr Belhassen, Vice-President of the LTDH was assaulted by members of the Tunis police force on 14 April 2001 while returning from a trip to Europe where she had, in particular, attended the Commission on Human Rights at the United Nations in Geneva and met representatives of the European Union.
Immediately on her arrival at the airport at 23h00, Mrs. Belhassen had all her documents confiscated. Among them were FIDH and LTDH documents and the 2000 Annual Report of the Observatory. Upon her insistence, a receipt for the documents was given to her.
Afterwards, while she was waiting for a car at the exit to the airport two plain-clothes policemen brutally assaulted her and insulted her extremely crudely.
When Mrs. Belhassen went to the police station to file a complaint the police officers on duty refused to register her statement. So far, the confiscated documents have not been returned to her.
This is one more item on the list of acts of harassment and police violence to which defenders of human rights in Tunisia have been subjected. The Observatory would like to recall here that Mrs. Khedija Cherif, member of CNLT and of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women was assaulted by plain-clothes agents on 1 March 2001. On 15 December 2000 Mohammed Bechri, coordinator of the National Committee for the Defence of Dr. Moncef Marzouki, Sihem Ben Sedrin, spokeswoman of the CNLT and Omar Mestiri, Secretary General of CNLT were also taken aside and assaulted during a peaceful demonstration (Cf. Urgent Appeal TUN 004/0012/OBS 129).
The Observatory points out that these actions are in blatant contradiction to the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998, in particular, Article 1, which enshrines the right of each person « each person has the right, individually or in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental liberties at national and international levels ».
Action requested :
Kindly write to the Tunisian authorities requesting them to :
i. Immediately take all necessary steps so that the documents confiscated be returned forthwith to Mrs. Belhassen and that a complete and impartial inquiry be carried out so as to identify, judge and sentence the perpetrators of the above mentioned acts according to the law in force;
ii. Put an end to the systematic harassment to which defenders of human rights in Tunisia are subjected and guarantee their freedom and safety in the pursuit of their activities;
iii. Comply with the Declaration on Defenders of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998, in particular, to Article 1 mentioned above, Article 6.a which states that «everyone has the right, individually and in association with others to know, seek, obtain receive and hold information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including having access to information as to how those rights and freedoms are given effect in domestic legislative, judicial or administrative systems », and Article 6.b which states that « everyone has the right, individually and in association with others freely to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms ».
iv. Comply, more generally, with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and regional and international instruments related to human rights which are binding on Tunisia.
Addresses :
H.E. Mr. Bechir TAKKARI, Minister of Justice, Ministere de la Justice, 31 Boulevard Bab Benat, 1006 Tunis, Tunisia
Fax : + 216 1 568 106 - E-mail : mju@ministeres.tn
H.E. Mr. KAABI, Minister of Home Affairs, Ministere de l'Interieur, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, 1001 Tunis, Tunisia
Telegrams : Ministre Interieur, Tunis, Tunisia
Fax : +216 1 340 888 - E-mail : mint@ministeres.tn
Mr. Dali JAZI, Special Advisor on Human Rights to the President of the Republic, Palais Presidentiel, Tunis, Tunisia
Fax : +216 1 571 314
H.E. Mr. Afif Hendaoui, Minister in Charge of Human Rights, Office of the Prime Minister, Place du Gouvernement, La Kasbah, 1006 Tunis, Tunisia
Fax : +216 1 570 842
Paris - Geneva, 20 April 2001
Thank you for informing the Observatory of any action taken, quoting the code of this appeal.
The Observatory, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and strives to offer them concrete support in their time of need. The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
Fax: + 033 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel: FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 - OMCT +41 22 809 49 39
E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch
TUN 003/0401/OBS 034
Assault/Confiscation of documents
TUNISIA
20 April 2001
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT, requests your urgent international intervention in the following situation in Tunisia.
Description of the facts :
The Observatory has been informed by the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) and the National Council for Freedom in Tunisia (CNLT) that Mrs. Souhayr Belhassen, Vice-President of the LTDH was assaulted by members of the Tunis police force on 14 April 2001 while returning from a trip to Europe where she had, in particular, attended the Commission on Human Rights at the United Nations in Geneva and met representatives of the European Union.
Immediately on her arrival at the airport at 23h00, Mrs. Belhassen had all her documents confiscated. Among them were FIDH and LTDH documents and the 2000 Annual Report of the Observatory. Upon her insistence, a receipt for the documents was given to her.
Afterwards, while she was waiting for a car at the exit to the airport two plain-clothes policemen brutally assaulted her and insulted her extremely crudely.
When Mrs. Belhassen went to the police station to file a complaint the police officers on duty refused to register her statement. So far, the confiscated documents have not been returned to her.
This is one more item on the list of acts of harassment and police violence to which defenders of human rights in Tunisia have been subjected. The Observatory would like to recall here that Mrs. Khedija Cherif, member of CNLT and of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women was assaulted by plain-clothes agents on 1 March 2001. On 15 December 2000 Mohammed Bechri, coordinator of the National Committee for the Defence of Dr. Moncef Marzouki, Sihem Ben Sedrin, spokeswoman of the CNLT and Omar Mestiri, Secretary General of CNLT were also taken aside and assaulted during a peaceful demonstration (Cf. Urgent Appeal TUN 004/0012/OBS 129).
The Observatory points out that these actions are in blatant contradiction to the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998, in particular, Article 1, which enshrines the right of each person « each person has the right, individually or in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental liberties at national and international levels ».
Action requested :
Kindly write to the Tunisian authorities requesting them to :
i. Immediately take all necessary steps so that the documents confiscated be returned forthwith to Mrs. Belhassen and that a complete and impartial inquiry be carried out so as to identify, judge and sentence the perpetrators of the above mentioned acts according to the law in force;
ii. Put an end to the systematic harassment to which defenders of human rights in Tunisia are subjected and guarantee their freedom and safety in the pursuit of their activities;
iii. Comply with the Declaration on Defenders of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998, in particular, to Article 1 mentioned above, Article 6.a which states that «everyone has the right, individually and in association with others to know, seek, obtain receive and hold information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including having access to information as to how those rights and freedoms are given effect in domestic legislative, judicial or administrative systems », and Article 6.b which states that « everyone has the right, individually and in association with others freely to publish, impart or disseminate to others views, information and knowledge on all human rights and fundamental freedoms ».
iv. Comply, more generally, with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and regional and international instruments related to human rights which are binding on Tunisia.
Addresses :
H.E. Mr. Bechir TAKKARI, Minister of Justice, Ministere de la Justice, 31 Boulevard Bab Benat, 1006 Tunis, Tunisia
Fax : + 216 1 568 106 - E-mail : mju@ministeres.tn
H.E. Mr. KAABI, Minister of Home Affairs, Ministere de l'Interieur, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, 1001 Tunis, Tunisia
Telegrams : Ministre Interieur, Tunis, Tunisia
Fax : +216 1 340 888 - E-mail : mint@ministeres.tn
Mr. Dali JAZI, Special Advisor on Human Rights to the President of the Republic, Palais Presidentiel, Tunis, Tunisia
Fax : +216 1 571 314
H.E. Mr. Afif Hendaoui, Minister in Charge of Human Rights, Office of the Prime Minister, Place du Gouvernement, La Kasbah, 1006 Tunis, Tunisia
Fax : +216 1 570 842
Paris - Geneva, 20 April 2001
Thank you for informing the Observatory of any action taken, quoting the code of this appeal.
The Observatory, a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and strives to offer them concrete support in their time of need. The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
Fax: + 033 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel: FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 - OMCT +41 22 809 49 39
E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch