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| New Obstacle for HR defenders in Tunisia | Date: 15-02-2001 |
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A new impediment to freedom of association for human rights defenders in Tunisia The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) would like to express its serious concern following the ruling delivered on 12th February 2001 by the Tunis court of internal disputes, ordering the annulment of the 5th congress of the Tunisian League of Human Rights (TLHR), invalidating the election of the current committee chairman and the conclusions of the work carried out by the congress. As will be concluded in a report by the EMHRN observer who was present at the congress, the "plaintiffs" made no mention of the legality of the decisions that were taken, nor did they express any reservations, notably on the subject of verifying the mandates and the propriety of the candidatures and elections. In addition to this very real example, there are further instances which show that the law is being called upon systematically: the measures of intimidation and repression which have been used against heads of the TLHR in recent years; the conditions under which the last congress was held, one which was marked by an important civil security presence and the absence of invited officials; the State's manifestly hostile reaction to the election results. From this it would appear that new obstacles are being put in the way of the autonomous management of the TLHR, hampering human rights defenders from exercising freedom of association. For this reason, the EMHRN would once again like to invite the State of Tunisia to respect its obligations following on from the Barcelona Declaration, its Association Agreement with the European Union and the obligations it has signed up to with the international community in the area of human rights. Pending an observation report of the trial to be published at a later date, the EMHRN formulates the wish that, within the framework of a fair examination of the legal appeal process, the TLHR can once again resume its normal activities with full autonomy with respect to the public authorities. |
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