STAFFDEL HOGREFE DISCUSSES HUMAN RIGHTS WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000671 SIPDIS NEA/MAG (HAYES) E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2019 TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV OREP TS SUBJECT: STAFFDEL HOGREFE DISCUSSES HUMAN RIGHTS WITH TUNISIAN CIVIL SOCIETY Classified by CDA Marc Desjardins for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) A Congressional staff delegation (Staffdel) led by Hans Hogrefe of the House International Relations Committee met with leaders of several prominent Tunisian human rights advocacy groups during an August 31-September 1 visit. The Tunisian civil society groups asserted that torture remains a standard practice by security forces and detailed GOT interference in civil society organizations. A leading Tunisian feminist group acknowleged Tunisia's strong record on women's rights but regretted that the GOT exploits this fact to obscure its overall poor human rights record. Enthusiastic about the start of the Obama administration, the activists hoped the USG would increase its attention to human rights advocacy in Tunisia. End summary. ¶2. (U) Hans Hogrefe, House International Relations Committee Democratic Senior Professional Staff Member, as well as Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Democratic Commission Staff Director, led a Staffdel focused on human rights during a visit to Tunisia August 31 to September 2. Hogrefe was joined by Elizabeth Hoffman, Republican Staff Director for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and Genell Brown, Senior Staff Specialist with the House International Relations Committee. -------------- CNLT: "Torture still widespread" -------------- ¶3. (C) In a meeting with the National Council for Freedom and Labor (CNLT) September 1, founding members, Abdel-Raouf Ayyadi, Lotfi Hidouri and Omar Mestiri, the Staffdel members heard that torture remained a regular practice in Tunisia. The Tunisian activists characterized the use of torture by the GOT as a means of instilling political fear and control. Ayyadi, also an attorney, recounted cases of the alleged torture of several of his clients by the GOT in 2009. He claimed torture is used by the GOT to gain false and forced confessions of association in terrorist organizations from prisoners. This enables the GOT to easily convict rivals and opponents under the terrorism law, he alleged. Ayyadi argued that the GOT has systematically exploited the global mandate for the war against terror as a domestic tool to wipe out all political dissidents while maintaining good relations with 
the West and securing President Ben Ali's goal of remaining "President for Life." -------------- LDTH Describes GOT Interference -------------- ¶4. (C) Mokhtar Trifi, President of the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) spoke about the LTDH's ongoing leadership crisis. Repeating a pattern observed with a number of Tunisian civil society groups, Trifi recounted that four LTDH members with close ties to the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) legally challenged the validity of the group's internal elections in 2001. The lower court ruled in their favor in 2001 and the issue has been tied up in legal wrangling since that time, with the pro-government faction winning several court decisions and the group's capacity to function severely hobbled in the meantime. Trifi said he was open to dialogue and compromise with the GOT that could restore the LTDH's viability as an advocacy group. Trifi called for support from all "friends of the LTDH," particularly the USG. -------------- -------------- ATFD: "Women's Rights are a Fraction of Human Rights" -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) The Staffdel also met with the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) on September 2. ATFD members credited the GOT and pioneers in the women's movement in Tunisia for advances made in women's rights since independence. They stated that unfortunately, the GOT now uses these hard fought gains in women's rights as a banner to falsely showcase the regime's promotion of human rights. The ATFD opined that the GOT needed to be constantly reminded that women's rights is only a fraction of human rights and advances in women's rights are not indicative of the general climate of human rights in Tunisia. ¶6. (C) ATFD members also claimed that the increasing return of women to conservative Islamic dress was based on several factors: the search for an identity (disillusionment with the massive infiltration of Western culture in Tunisia), dissatisfaction with the inequality of women in Tunisian society (inequality of inheritance, superiority of male family members and arranged marriages),and poverty. According to the ATFD, with the economic crisis affecting women more than men in Tunisia, Islamic identity is a cheaper way to dress and provide for the family. Simply wearing "Islamic clothing" lessened the burden of purchasing clothing on a regular basis. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) As they have done consistently, our Tunisian civil society interlocutors offered candid and generally downbeat views on the state of human rights and democracy in Tunisia. Noteworthy were pleas for further U.S. involvement in democracy promotion and the activists' high expectations of the Obama administration were voiced throughout the visit. Our civil society interlocutors are hopeful that the U.S. will make Tunisia a higher priority for human rights advocacy but offered few concrete ideas on how U.S. efforts might make a difference. End comment. ¶8. (U) Staffdel Hogrefe did not have the opportunity to clear this message before departing Tunisia. DESJARDINS