[WSIS CS-Plenary] Tunisia: The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN deeply concerned

[sihem bensedrine]

RAPID ACTION NETWORK


17 March 2005

RAN 09/05

Tunisia: Mohammed Abbou arrested following internet
article
The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN
is deeply 
concerned by 
the arrest, on 1 March 2005, of lawyer and human
rights activist 
Mohammed 
Abbou in connection with an article published on the
internet in August 
2004 which denounced torture in Tunisia.

Following his arrest on 1 March,  Mohammed Abbou, who
is a member of 
the 
National Council for Freedom in Tunisia  (Conseil
National pour les 
Libertés en Tunisie  CNLT), was taken to 9 April
prison in Tunis. He 
has 
been charged with ‘’publishing false reports’’,
‘’insulting the 
judiciary’’, ‘’inciting people to break the law’’ and
‘’publishing 
offences’’ in connection with an article which he had
written and 
posted on 
the Tunisnews website in August 2004. The article
reportedly compared 
torture committed against political prisoners in
Tunisia to abuses 
carried 
out by US soldiers in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison.
According to reports 
received by International PEN, Abbou faces a prison
term of ten years.

On 28 February 2005, Mohammed Abbou posted an article
on the same 
website 
Tunisnews in which he ironically compared Tunisian
President Ben Ali to 
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and it is thought
that his recent 
arrest is in fact linked to the publication of this
latter article. 
Several 
hundred lawyers reportedly gathered at the Palais de
Justice on the day 
following Abbou’s arrest to protest -  including the
lawyer’s wife who 
was 
one of many protesters to reportedly be  physically
assaulted by 
plain-clothed police officers.

Mohammed Abbou has reportedly not been allowed access
to legal counsel.

International PEN considers Mohammed Abbou to have
been targeted by the 
Tunisian authorities solely for peacefully exercising
his right to 
freedom 
of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the
United Nations 
Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights to which Tunisia is a
signatory. 
International 
PEN therefore calls upon the Tunisian authorities to
release Mohammed 
Abbou 
immediately and without conditions.


Please send appeals:

-       Calling upon the Tunisian authorities to
release Mohammed Abbou 
Immediately and unconditionally;
-       Urging that Mohammed Abbou be given access to
a lawyer as a 
matter 
of urgency;
-       Expressing grave concern that Mohammed Abbou
is being 
persecuted 
for peacefully expressing his opinion.
-
Appeals to:

Président Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
Président de la République
Palais Présidentiel
Tunis
Tunisie
Fax: +216 71 744 721

Hedi M’Henni
Ministre de l’Intérieur
Avenue Habib Bourguiba
1001 Tunis
Tunisie
Fax: +216 71 340 888
Email: mint at ministeres.tn

M. Bechir Takkari Ministre de la Justice
31, Av. Bab Benat
1006 Tunis  La Kasbah
Tunisie
Fax: +216 71 568 106
Email: mju at ministeres.tn

Also send copies if possible to:

·       The Tunisian representative in your country
·       The Tunisia Desk officer at your government’s
Foreign Office
·       Your country official representative in
Tunisia

For further details contact Sara Birch at the Writers
in Prison 
Committee 
London Office: 9-10 Charterhouse Buildings, London
EC1M 7AT UK Tel: + 
44 
(0) 20 72 53 32 26 Fax: + 44 (0) 20 72 53 57 11
e-mail: 
sbirch at wipcpen.org




_______________________________________________________


Sara Whyatt
Programme Director
Writers in Prison Committee
International PEN
9-10 Charterhouse Buildings
London EC1M 7AT
UK

Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7253 3226
Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7253 5711
Email: swhyatt at wipcpen.org




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