[WSIS CS-Plenary] Women's Statement - Tunisian HR Situation

[Jac SM Kee]

Dear all,

We have prepared this statement which we hope to circulate by tomorrow 
morning. This is the women's statement on the Tunisian HR situation. 
Please write to: jac at apcwomen.org AND mavic at iwtc.org if you want to 
endorse the statement (whether as an individual or organisation or 
network).

Please feel free to pass it on to your network.

If you have changes, please email it by tonight, midnight.

Thank you!
Mavic (IWTC & AMARC) + Jac (APC WNSP & KRYSS)


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We, women’s organisations, individuals and networks gathered in Tunis 
for Phase II of the World Summit on the Information Society, denounce 
blatant violations of human rights, freedom of expression, access to 
information and freedom of assembly by the Tunisian government.

On November 12th 2005, correspondent Christophe Boltanski of the French 
daily Libération who previously reported the on-going hunger strike of 
Tunisian political prisoners, was beaten and stabbed by four 
unidentified assailants near his hotel in Tunis, in the presence of 
police officers who did not take any action to stop the attack.

Preparations for a Citizen’s Summit on the Information Society have been 
continuously disrupted and prevented from happening. On November 14th 
2005, Tunisian authorities blocked access to the preparatory meeting 
site, Goethe Institute, and physically forced people away from the 
building. During this process, several people were insulted and beaten. 
On the same day, a journalist from Belgium who was covering the event 
had his camera confiscated. When the camera was returned later, the film 
was missing.

These incidents form part of the serious deterioration of freedom of 
expression and assembly in Tunisia.

The Tunisia Monitoring Group, a coalition of 14 organisations monitoring 
freedom of expression in Tunisia, reported that since January 2005, 
harassments of journalists and dissidents, imprisonment of those who 
articulate criticisms against the Tunisian government have persisted, 
and in some cases, escalated. The independence of judiciary has also 
been compromised. Essai Belhassen, Coordinator of the Association of 
Tunisian Democratic Women (Association Tunisienne des Femmes Democrates, 
ATFD), has been consistently obstructed from participating in 
WSIS-related meetings and events. Further, information sites covering 
WSIS from civil society perspectives, especially those maintained by 
Tunisians, have been censored and blocked.

Freedoms of expression, access to information and freedom of assembly 
are integral to the principles of gender equality and women’s human 
rights. Human rights and freedoms, of which women's human rights and 
freedoms are a central part, must be located at the core of the 
information society.

As articulated in Paragraph 4 of the WSIS Declaration, to which the 
Tunisian government is a signatory, and as outlined in Article 19 of the 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom 
of opinion and expression; that this right includes freedom to hold 
opinions without interference. We call on the Tunisian government and 
the international community to protect and uphold these rights.

We urge a real commitment to the Geneva Declaration of Principles in 
building an Information Society that is people-centred, inclusive, 
participatory, democratic and development-oriented.

We are outraged and gravely concerned by the impunity demonstrated by 
the Tunisian authorities in curtailing the freedoms of expression, 
access to information and freedom of assembly.

We demand the Tunisian government to put an end to the human rights 
violations. It is intolerable that we are experiencing serious 
violations of basic human rights even as we gather here to shape a just 
and equitable Information Society.

15 November 2005
Signed:

World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) – Women’s 
International Network
Association of Progressive Communications, Women’s Networking Support 
Programme (APC WNSP)
International Women’s Tribune Centre
European Federation of Older Persons (EURAG) – Europe
Knowledge & Rights with Young People through Safer Spaces (KRYSS)
(more please!)

-- 

"Today I caught the scent of change. It moves me." - jhybeturtle/antagonyaunt

www.apcwomen.org; www.genderIT.org; 
www.kryss.org; www.wao.org.my; www.sistersinislam.org.my