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Tunisia
Harassment against human rights defenders continues
Sihem Bensedrine, spokesperson for the National Council for Freedom in Tunisia (CNLT) – member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) – and secretary general of the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation (OLPEC), was once again attacked and then prevented from leaving Tunisia, this Tuesday 19 August.
The EMHRN firmly condemns this new harassment against Ms Bensedrine, who was already the victim of a violent assault at the customs of Tunis port, last 3 March 1.
As she was about to board on a flight to Vienna, Austria, Ms Bensedrine was arrested by the border police of the Tunis-Carthage Airport, this Tuesday 19 August. Her luggage, notably her handbag, her backpack, where her laptop was kept, as well as her personal documents were searched meticulously. The customs officers also asked her to follow them in a back office, but in the absence of a valid reason, Ms Bensedrine refused to cooperate. Then, plain-clothes men, who did not give their names, took over from the customs officers. They picked on Ms Bensedrine and threatened that she would be banned from leaving the country as long as she does not obey the orders. After her plane took off without her, Ms Bensedrine was insulted and ill-treated and her personal belongings, including her laptop, were violently thrown on the floor.
According to the lawyer Raouf Ayadi, « since the search to which Ms Bensedrine was subjected by uniformed customs officers did not give rise to any ground of suspicion, the request formulated by plain-clothed individuals, who did not give their names, to follow them in offices is totally illegal [...] It constitutes a gross violation of the principle of legality according to which the administration clearly states the measure it wants to take and justifies it ».
The EMHRN expresses its deep concern over this new harassment against Ms Bensedrine, who was already the victim of a similar assault last March, which did not give rise to any investigation despite the fact that a complaint was duly made.
The EMHRN reaffirms its support to Ms Bensedrine and urges the Tunisian authorities to:
- Put an immediate end to assaults against human rights defenders in accordance with the provisions of the UN General Assembly Declaration on Human Rights Defenders of 9 December 1998 ;
- Allow all Tunisian nationals to leave the Tunisian territory, in accordance with Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966 ratified by Tunisia;
- Initiate without delay an independent investigation into the two assaults on Ms Bensedrine, which results must be made public and lead to the punishment of their authors.
The EMHRN also urges the decision-making bodies of the European Union to ensure that Article 2 of the EU-Tunisia Association Agreement, as well as the European Union Guidelines on human rights defenders are respected.
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About us
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) is a network gathering more than 80 human rights organisations from 30 countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
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