AMBASSADOR VISITS OPPOSITION HUNGER STRIKERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001329

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NEA/MAG (HOPKINS/HARRIS) AND DRL (JOHNSTONE)
LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM KPAO TS
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR VISITS OPPOSITION HUNGER STRIKERS

REF: A. TUNIS 1294


B. TUNIS 330

C. 05 TUNIS 1560

D. 05 TUNIS 2034

Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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Summary
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1. (C) As they entered day nine of their hunger strike,
opposition PDP Secretary General Maya Jribi and former PDP
Secretary General Nejib Chebbi both appeared wan but in good

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spirits. Jribi and Chebbi started a hunger strike on
September 20 to protest their landlord,s effort, almost
certainly inspired by the GOT, to evict the PDP from its
Tunis headquarters (Ref A). During his September 28 visit to
PDP headquarters, the Ambassador expressed the strong USG
commitment to democracy, freedom of association, and freedom
of expression. The PDP officially articulated their
gratitude for Embassy support. Jribi and Chebbi attributed
other diplomats, willingness to visit the PDP during the
hunger strike to the precedent set by the US Embassy. They
told PolOffs on September 26 that their actions have garnered
international support, although authorities have taken
measures to curtail the hunger strike's publicity
domestically. End summary.

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Thank You
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2. (C) Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) Secretary General
Maya Jribi told the Ambassador during his September 28 visit
that, according to physicians, her and former PDP Secretary
General Nejib Chebbi,s vital signs remain stable, but
admitted she and Chebbi tire easily. Both appeared weak, but
in good spirits, and remain committed to the hunger strike.
In addition to the Americans, the British, German, and Dutch
Embassies have also sent representatives to PDP headquarters,
where Jribi and Chebbi are staging their hunger strike (Ref
A). Jribi and Chebbi mentioned several times that they were
grateful for the USG,s support, and attributed other
embassies, willingness to visit the hunger-strikers to the
precedent set by the American Embassy. The Ambassador
emphasized the USG,s commitment to freedom of expression and
freedom of association, noting that the Embassy often presses
the GOT to do more to enhance democracy and key political
freedoms. He applauded Jribi,s and Chebbi,s commitment to
non-violent means of protest, but urged them to be careful
with regard to their health.

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Reasoning
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3. (C) Jribi and Chebbi stressed the PDP felt the hunger
strike was necessary if the PDP was not to go the way of the
Tunisian Human Rights League (Ref B),the Tunisian Judges
Association (Ref C),or the Tunisian Journalists Syndicate
(Ref D). Roughly nine of the PDP's regional landlords, with
various pretexts, are already attempting to or already have
evicted the PDP from their local office space. Some
landlords admitted they were being pressured by government
officials to evict them (Ref A). Jribi told the Ambassador
that the hunger strike is motivated in part by the fact that
the party feels that if the PDP, a legal opposition party,
does not forcefully protest their political persecution, it
would set a dire precedent for smaller or unrecognized
political parties and NGOs. Chebbi indicated that the PDP
would like to capitalize on public sympathy and support of
the hunger-strikers by staging a rally on November 7, the
anniversary of Ben Ali,s ascension to the Presidency.

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International Support
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4. (C) Separately, Jribi told PolOffs on September 26 that
the strike has generated a sizable amount of international
support. Al-Jazeera satellite channel carried segments on
the hunger strike as well as on the September 23 one-day
hunger-strike held by local and international human rights
activists to demonstrate solidarity with the PDP. A
delegation of French and Tunisian civil society activists met
with officials at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on
September 27 to discuss the PDP's situation, and French
Senator Monique Cerisier ben Guiga sent a letter in support
of the PDP to Tunisian President Ben Ali on September 25.
Several Tunisian NGOs and opposition parties, such as the
Tunisian Journalists Syndicate and the Democratic Forum for
Work and Liberties, have also voiced support.

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Paper? What Paper?
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5. (C) Despite the international attention the strike has
garnered, the PDP has had some problems publicizing the
strike domestically. According to the PDP and local
journalists, vendors were directed not to sell the September
21st edition of the PDP's Arabic-weekly al-Mowqif which
headlined the hunger strike. (Note: Several civil society
contacts speculated that another reason the paper was on the
"no sell" list could have been the story it carried on the
GOT,s cash gift to the new International School of Carthage.
The school was reportedly a pet project of the President,s
wife Leila Ben Ali, together with Yasser Arafat,s widow
Suha, before the latter,s precipitous departure from Tunisia
(septel). End Note.) While a few select locations were
allowed to display the paper, most vendors were instructed by
GOT officials not to display al-Mowqif and to tell any who
asked that it was not available. Vendors reportedly told the
PDP that they were ordered to return all the unsold copies at
the end of the week, and that they would have to account for
the number of copies they were originally given.


6. (U) Meanwhile, PDP members reportedly continue to face
harassment. On September 28, the PDP released a communique
stating that Yassine Djelassi, a member of the Young PDP, was
detained by police on September 27. Later, his computer was
seized by police and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
The press release also stated that Afef Bennaceur, a member
of a committee that supported the hunger-strikers, was
assaulted by police and subsequently hospitalized.

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Comment
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7. (C) Although there is no direct evidence, there is a
very strong likelihood that the GOT is behind the effort to
evict the PDP from its headquarters. The efforts by
landlords in several cities to deny the PDP its headquarters
and other office space, in conjunction with repeated
harassment of its members, has all the earmarks of a
government campaign to hobble the independent opposition
party. We will continue to visit the hunger strikers
regularly, and will ask a DRL official in Tunis next week to
join us on one of these visits. The Ambassador and other
Emboffs are also coordinating with like-minded Embassies to
organize other trips to see the hunger strikers. The
Ambassador will raise the issue, as well, in meetings next
week with senior GOT officials. At an appropriate time, we
may seek action by Washington officials. End Comment.
GODEC