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)

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Summary
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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.

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Hunger Strike To Continue
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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.

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President of Human Rights Council Makes His Case
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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.

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It's Not East Being Unregistered
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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.

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Comment
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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