DRL DEPUTY DIRECTOR PROMOTES HUMAN RIGHTS AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001353 SIPDIS SIPDIS DRL (JOHNSTONE, OZKAN); NEA/MAG (HOPKINS/HARRIS) LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM KPAO TS SUBJECT: DRL DEPUTY DIRECTOR PROMOTES HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM IN TUNISIA REF: A. TUNIS 1329 ¶B. TUNIS 1340 ¶C. TUNIS 770 ¶D. TUNIS 1004 ¶E. TUNIS 1283 Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On October 3, visiting DRL/NESCA Deputy Director Kari Johnstone met with opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) hunger strikers Maya Jribi and Nejib Chebbi, the President of the governmental Higher Commission for Human Rights and Fundamental Liberties Moncer Rouissi, and members of the (unregistered) human rights NGO the National Council for Liberty in Tunisia (CNLT). Johnstone discussed opportunities for USG assistance in the field of human rights promotion, which were welcomed by both civil society and government representatives. End Summary. -------------- Hunger Strike To Continue -------------- ¶2. (C) Johnstone's first stop on October 3 was a meeting with PDP Secretary General Maya Jribi and former Secretary General Nejib Chebbi, both of whom are on a hunger strike protesting political repression in Tunisia, specifically their landlord,s attempt to evict the party from its Tunis headquarters but also similar eviction orders faced by numerous party branch offices (Ref A). Jribi and Chebbi began by expressing their appreciation for the Ambassador's September 28 visit, opining that it was a significant demonstration of the USG's commitment to freedom of expression and freedom of association. Johnstone added that increased political participation in Tunisia is important to USG officials in Washington as well. ¶3. (C) Jribi and Chebbi reaffirmed their intent to continue the hunger strike "for at least a month." Chebbi shared that the PDP plans to send delegations with signed petitions supporting the hunger strike to regional governors the week of October 7, followed by regional demonstrations the week of October 14 or 21. Chebbi stated that the PDP hopes support for the hunger strike will culminate in a national demonstration, which the PDP would consider a significant political victory. On a practical note, acknowledging that the PDP faces eviction from their headquarters in roughly twenty days (Ref B),Chebbi said that the PDP is exploring leasing new office space, but has yet to settle on a new local. -------------- --- President of Human Rights Council Makes His Case -------------- --- ¶4. (C) Johnstone also met with Moncer Rouissi, President of the Higher Commission for Human Rights and Civil Liberties (the Commission),a governmental organization (Ref C). He acknowledged that aside from an annual report on human rights in Tunisia, the vast majority of the Commission's activities are not made public. Rouissi explained the Commission's mandate is to research and report on human rights, as well as to promote a culture of human rights. Johnstone offered USG support in helping to develop or possibly fund the Commission,s human rights campaign, and Rouissi promised to contact the Embassy when the Commission is ready to move forward. In response to Johnstone's comment that the USG is committed to the issue of freedom of association, Rouissi added that the Commission is open to meeting with any registered NGO or group that might have complaints or issues, but the organizations must first approach the Commission. Rouissi gave the example of the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH),and said "we've been looking at (LTDH President Mokhtar Trifi's) proposal," regarding a solution to the LTDH situation (Ref D). ¶5. (C) The Commission meets bi-monthly to review cases, which are then sent to the relevant ministries (most often the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Justice, or Ministry of Social Affairs) for action, after which a report is sent to President Ben Ali. Rouissi said the Commission receives roughly 30 complaints per week, and while some complaints take longer to resolve than others they are all addressed "in a reasonable amount of time." He attributed the cause of many complaints to poor communication between the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Social Affairs. For example, Rouissi said sometimes released prisoners go to their local police stations to resolve missing or incorrect paperwork, and are re-arrested because their original arrest warrants were never annulled. ¶6. (C) Johnstone and the DCM both encouraged Rouissi to provide input into annual Human Rights Report, noting that the USG is open to all sources of information. Rouissi stated that though he knows the report is mandated by Congress, he did not understand the reasoning behind the report, as "it defines the quality of the relationship between governments," and "it's not appropriate." He continued, asking how the USG would react if the GOT published a report on the United States. When Rouissi said the USG arrests people "just because they are Arabs or Muslims" in the United States, and has revised its laws to make this easier, the DCM replied that there are no such laws or practice and invited him to contact the Embassy to request information on any specific cases. -------------- It's Not East Being Unregistered -------------- ¶7. (C) After meeting with the Commission, Johnstone met with journalists Lotfi Hidouri and Sami Nacer, as well as Abdel Kader Khemiss, the Secretary General of the CNLT, an unregistered human rights NGO. The CNLT members described their ongoing struggle to register their NGO (Ref E),and shared that they are about to publish a report on human rights defenders in Tunisia. Khemiss stated that normally plainclothes policemen would have prevented him from entering the CNLT office, but attributed his ability to come and go freely prior to the meeting with Johnstone to GOT knowledge about her impending visit. Hidouri explained that nominally the CNLT has 50-60 members, but most people are intimidated by GOT pressure, so the number of active numbers is really 10-20. ¶8. (C) The CNLT used to have larger offices, but Khemiss said that, like the PDP, they lost the space due to GOT pressure on the landlord. He said their current office space is sublet from their spokesperson, Sihem Bensedrine, who rents it from a Belgian company. Khemiss reacted positively to the Ambassador's September 28 visit to the PDP hunger strikers, saying that prior to the Ambassador's visit he was prevented by plainclothes policemen from entering PDP headquarters. Following the Ambassador's visit, the police presence was scaled back and people were being allowed to enter the PDP building without incident. He echoed the PDP's sentiment that the Ambassador's visit was a significant show of USG support for freedom of expression, and was appreciated by civil society as such. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) Tunisian civil society welcomed Johnstone's visit,which allowed them to explain in person the difficulties they face. Tunisia's activists face an unique set of challenges (including restrictions on internet access, surveillance, limits on freedom of expression, and difficulty traveling outside the country) that hamper their ability to share their message with an American audience. Though Johnstone met with both registered and unregistered organizations, both groups face similar hurdles in attempts to create a true political and social dialogue. With presidential and legislative elections coming up in 2009, the vitality of this dialogue is especially important. End Comment. ¶10. (U) DRL Deputy Director Johnstone did not have an opportunity to clear this cable. GODEC