Human Rights Watch 2007
News and Releases
Compiled by Kandy Ringer
|
|
Human Rights Watch 2007 News and Releases Compiled by Kandy Ringer |
|
Police Warn Lawyer Not to Work for Political Prisoner Association
|
|
Map of Tunisia, 2005.
Photo Credit: The University of Texas at Austin. |
|
For the map shown above in it's full size, see Map of Tunisia, 2005.
More maps are available in BBSNews Maps. |
BBSNews December 20, 2007 -- New York (HRW) Tunisian authorities should immediately halt their ongoing harassment of an independent human rights association on the pretext that it lacks legal status, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
The letter protested the December 7 police detention of attorney Samir Ben Amor, who is a co-founder and steering committee member of the Tunis-based International Association in Support of Political Prisoners (AISPP). Police released Ben Amor after warning him to cease his activities within the AISPP, an organization that authorities have refused to legally recognize since its creation five years ago. Tunisian law provides prison terms and fines for persons active in "unrecognized" associations.
"It speaks volumes that Tunisian authorities justified their refusal to legalize the AISPP because its name implied that Tunisia had political prisoners," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "This effort to silence Samir Ben Amor only underscores the fact that the authorities harass Tunisians who point out that the government holds political prisoners."
The Human Rights Watch's letter to President Ben Ali is available online.
Comments (0)