Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TUNIS2949
2006-12-20 16:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tunis
Cable title:  

TUNISIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES MOUNTING, IN SPITE OF

Tags:  PHUM PREL PGOV KMPI TS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTUA #2949 3541602
ZNY CCCCC ZZH ZUI RUEWMCF8933 3541603
P 201602Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC0000
INFO MAGHREB COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 002949 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA/MAG FOR HARRIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KMPI TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES MOUNTING, IN SPITE OF
RHETORIC ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

REF: A. STATE 200959


B. TUNIS 2844

C. TUNIS 2639

D. TUNIS 1658

E. TUNIS 1206

F. TUNIS 2661

G. TUNIS 2688

CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES DAVID BALLARD FOR REASONS 1.4 B & D

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 002949

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA/MAG FOR HARRIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KMPI TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES MOUNTING, IN SPITE OF
RHETORIC ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

REF: A. STATE 200959


B. TUNIS 2844

C. TUNIS 2639

D. TUNIS 1658

E. TUNIS 1206

F. TUNIS 2661

G. TUNIS 2688

CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES DAVID BALLARD FOR REASONS 1.4 B & D


1. (C) SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION: THE GOT CELEBRATED HUMAN
RIGHTS DAY ON DECEMBER 10TH WITH THE USUAL SPEECHES ABOUT
TUNISIA'S RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, AND WITH NEW INITIATIVES
FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. MEANWHILE,
HARASSMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, OPPOSITION PARTY
ACTIVISTS, INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS, AND FAMILIES OF AN-NAHDHA
PRISONERS CONTINUES AS STRONG, OR STRONGER, THAN EVER. BELOW
ARE SEVERAL, OF MANY, RECENT INCIDENTS CONTRADICTING THE
GOT'S PERENNIAL PLEDGE TO "GUARANTEE THE RIGHTS OF ALL
CITIZENS AND HONOR THE DEFENDERS OF HUMAN RIGHTS." END
SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION.

--------------
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY CELEBRATIONS BLOCKED
--------------


2. (C) HUMAN RIGHTS AND OPPOSITION ACTIVIST KHEMAIS CHEMMARI
TOLD POLCOUNS THAT THE GOT PREVENTED 17 NGO OR CIVIL SOCIETY
EVENTS THAT HAD BEEN SCHEDULED IN COMMEMORATION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS DAY. THESE BLOCKED MEETINGS INCLUDED A
"NON-POLITICAL" COMMEMORATION AT A TUNIS THEATER, A
DEMONSTRATION BY THE 18 OCTOBER MOVEMENT (REF F) IN FRONT OF
THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE GOVERNOR OF TUNIS, A PRESS CONFERENCE
BY THE UNAUTHORIZED TUNISIAN GREEN PARTY, AN 18 OCTOBER
MEETING IN SFAX, AND TUNISIAN HUMAN RIGHTS LEAGUE (REF G)
GATHERINGS IN REGIONAL CITIES JENDOUBA, BIZERTE, MONASTIR,
NEFTA, KELIBIA, AND SOUSSE. ACCORDING TO CHEMMARI, IN
ADDITION TO GOT COMMEMORATIONS OR EVENTS BY GOT-LOYAL
ORGANIZATIONS, ONLY THREE INDEPENDENT EVENTS TOOK PLACE TO
MARK HUMAN RIGHTS DAY: A DEBATE HOSTED BY OPPOSITION PARTY
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MOVEMENT (MDS),AN OPPOSITION PARTY PDP
EVENT HELD IN BIZERTE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 18 OCTOBER
MOVEMENT, AND A ROUNDTABLE HELD BY PDP ON FREEDOM OF
ASSOCIATION. POLOFFS ATTENDED THE LATTER EVENT WHICH WAS
ALSO ATTENDED BY A WHO'S WHO OF THE TUNISIAN
OPPOSITION/ACTIVIST COMMUNITY. UNIFORMED AND PLAIN-CLOTHED

POLICE SURROUNDED PDP HEADQUARTERS DURING THE EVENT, ALTHOUGH
NO ONE WAS BARRED ENTRY.

--------------
MARZOUKI RETURNS
--------------


3. (C) OPPOSITION LEADER MONCEF MARZOUKI, WHO FOR YEARS WAS
LIVING IN SELF-IMPOSED EXILE IN FRANCE, MADE A
MUCH-PUBLICIZED RETURN TO TUNISIA IN LATE OCTOBER. HIS
RETURN FOLLOWED AN APPEARANCE ON AL-JAZEERA DURING WHICH HE
CALLED ON TUNISIANS TO EMBARK ON A CAMPAIGN OF CIVIL
DISOBEDIENCE. MARZOUKIS APPEARANCE PROMPTED THE GOT TO
CLOSE ITS EMBASSY IN DOHA IN PROTEST OF AL JAZEERA'S COVERAGE
OF TUNISIA (REF C). ON OCTOBER 21, MARZOUKI WAS REPORTEDLY
CALLED TO COURT TO FACE CHARGES OF "INCITING CIVIL
DISOBEDIENCE." HE DID NOT APPEAR IN COURT NOR DID HE RESPOND
TO A SUBSEQUENT CONVOCATION. FETHI JERBI, A UNIVERSITY
PROFESSOR AND MEMBER OF MARZOUKI'S UNAUTHORIZED CONGRESS FOR
THE REPUBLIC (CPR) PARTY, TOLD POLOFF THAT MARZOUKI REFUSED
TO RESPOND TO A JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAT WAS NOT INDEPENDENT.
JERBI SAID MARZOUKI DID NOT FEAR ARREST, AND THAT HE THOUGHT
MARZOUKI'S HIGH INTERNATIONAL PROFILE WOULD PROTECT HIM.


4. SINCE MARZOUKI'S RETURN IN OCTOBER, HE HAS REPORTEDLY
SUFFERED FROM INTENSE POLICE SURVEILLANCE AND HARASSMENT, AND
AT TIMES HAS BEEN PREVENTED FROM LEAVING HIS HOME REGION OF
SOUSSE. HE HAS REPORTEDLY BEEN UNABLE TO RECEIVE VISITORS AT
HIS HOME. JERBI TOLD POLOFF THAT MARZOUKI PLANS TO TRAVEL TO
FRANCE ON DECEMBER 21 BUT FEARS THAT THE GOT MAY EMPLOY ITS
COMMON TACTIC OF CONFISCATING HIS PASSPORT OR OTHERWISE
PREVENTING HIM FROM TRAVELING.

--------------
ABBOU HARASSED, AGAIN
--------------


5. (C) ON DECEMBER 7, SAMIA ABBOU, THE WIFE OF
LAWYER/ACTIVIST MOHAMED ABBOU, SENTENCED TO THREE AND A HALF
YEARS IN PRISON ON CHARGES STEMMING FROM ARTICLES PUBLISHED
ON-LINE (REF D),WAS PREVENTED FROM VISITING HER HUSBAND IN
PRISON IN EL KEF, THREE HOURS WEST OF TUNIS. SHE WAS
ACCOMPANIED EN ROUTE TO THE PRISON BY INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST


SLIM BOUKHDIR, LAWYER SAMIR BEN AMAR, AND OPPOSITION
POLITICAL FIGURE MONCEF MARZOUKI. (NB: MOHAMED ABBOU IS A
MEMBER OF MARZOUKI'S CPR POLITICAL PARTY.) ACCORDING TO
SAMIA ABBOU, THE GROUP WAS STOPPED AT THREE SUCCESSIVE POLICE
BARRICADES. THE FINAL BARRICADE WAS ALLEGEDLY MANNED BY
APPROXIMATELY 40 POLICE OFFICERS. WHILE THE GROUP EVENTUALLY
WAS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE, A GROUP OF YOUTHS ALLEGEDLY VERBALLY
AND PHYSICALLY HARASSED ABBOU AND COMPANY WHILE THEY WERE
STOPPED AT A RESTAURANT. ON ARRIVING AT THE PRISON, ANOTHER
GROUP OF YOUNG MEN REPORTEDLY PHYSICALLY ABUSED ABBOU,
MARZOUKI, BENDHIR AND BEN AMAR, AND SHATTERED THE MIRRORS ON
BEN AMAR'S VEHICLE. ACCORDING TO A REPORTERS WITHOUT
BORDERS' COMMUNIQUE, POLICE STOOD BY AND WATCHED WHILE THIS
VIOLENT ALTERCATION TOOK PLACE, AND FILMED IT. DOMESTIC
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ALLEGED THAT THE YOUTHS WERE ACTING ON
GOT INSTRUCTION TO HARASS ABBOU AND HER COMPANIONS. FINALLY,
THE GROUP RETURNED TO TUNIS WITHOUT HAVING BEEN ABLE TO MEET
WITH MOHAMED ABBOU. POLOFF MET WITH SAMIA ABBOU ON DECEMBER
8, AND SHE APPEARED WEAK, TIRED, AND VISIBLY SHAKEN FROM THE
PREVIOUS DAY'S INCIDENTS.


6. (C) ON DECEMBER 14, SAMIA ABBOU VISITED HER HUSBAND
WITHOUT INCIDENT. MARZOUKI, WHOSE PRESENCE MANY OBSERVERS
ASSUME PROVOKED THE STRONG GOT REACTION THE PREVIOUS WEEK,
DID NOT ACCOMPANY HER. ABBOU DESCRIBED HER HUSBAND AS IN
POOR HEALTH, AND SAID HE WAS ON HUNGER STRIKE.

--------------
HAJJI DETAINED
--------------


7. (C) ON DECEMBER 18, AL-JAZEERA CORRESPONDENT AND HEAD OF
THE UNAUTHORIZED TUNISIAN JOURNALISTS SYNDICATE (SJT),LOTFI
HAJJI (REF B),WAS TAKEN INTO POLICE CUSTODY AT HIS HOME IN
BIZERTE AND BROUGHT TO TUNIS. HAJJI HAD EARLIER IN THE DAY
TWICE BEEN CONVOKED, BY PHONE AND IN WRITING, TO POLICE
FACILITIES IN TUNIS, BUT HAD REFUSED TO OBEY. HAJJI TOLD
POLOFF THAT DURING HIS DETENTION IN TUNIS HE WAS TOLD THAT
HIS WORK AS AN AL JAZEERA CORRESPONDENT WAS ILLEGAL. (NB: THE
GOT HAS REFUSED TO ISSUE HAJJI JOURNALISTIC ACCREDITATION FOR
HIS WORK FOR AL JAZEERA. ) POLICE OFFICIALS ALLEGEDLY TOLD
HIM TO SIGN AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT HE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO
STOP REPORTING FOR AL JAZEERA. HAJJI REFUSED AND WAS
RELEASED AFTER SEVERAL HOURS. (NB: HAJJI IS PERIODICALLY
DETAINED FOR VARIOUS REASONS APPARENTLY IN AN ATTEMPT TO
INTIMIDATE HIM.)

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


8. (C) THE ABOVE EXAMPLES ARE JUST A SAMPLING OF THE MANY
INCIDENTS REPORTED DAILY BY INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC HUMAN
RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS, POLITICAL PARTIES, AND ACTIVISTS.
WHILE PERIODIC GLIMMERS OF PROGRESS CAN BE SEEN, MOST
RECENTLY IN THE AUTHORIZATION OF A NEW OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER
(REF E),THE GOT HAS SHOWN NO FUNDAMENTAL WILLINGNESS TO EASE
ITS CONTROL OVER DOMESTIC POLITICAL ACTIVITY. POST WILL
RAISE THESE INCIDENTS, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SECRETARY'S
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED DEFENDING THE DEFENDERS INITIATIVE (REF
A),WITH THE MFA AT THE EARLIEST AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITY.
BALLARD