DAS WITTES RAISES HUMAN RIGHTS WITH SENIOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000061 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2020 TAGS: PHUM PREL TS SUBJECT: DAS WITTES RAISES HUMAN RIGHTS WITH SENIOR TUNISIANS REF: A. TUNIS 55 ¶B. TUNIS 54 ¶C. 09 TUNIS 885 ¶D. 09 TUNIS 748 Classified by Ambassador Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In (separate) January 21 meetings with Communications Minister Romdhani and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary of State Saida Chtoui, visiting NEA DAS Tamara Wittes cautioned that Washington remained focused on Tunisia's human rights record, and particularly the GOT's recent crackdown on independent journalists and bloggers. The USG would like to engage Tunisia in a candid and practical dialogue on human rights, Wittes underlined. Romdhani welcomed the notion of a principled dialogue. Chtoui focused principally on attacking particular activists, whom she asserted represented a tiny minority who profited by defaming Tunisia abroad. DAS Wittes's representations to the GOT on human rights will make it easier for the Embassy to advance these discussions in the coming months. End summary. ¶2. (C) During her January 20-22 visit to Tunisia, NEA DAS Tamara Wittes raised Science and Technology Cooperation (ref A),problems with the bilateral Fulbright program (ref B), and human rights with senior Tunisian officials. In her meetings with Communications Minister Romdhani and with Saida Chtoui, Secretary of State for Asia and the Americas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wittes emphasized that the Obama administration was keeping human rights near the top of the U.S. international agenda, and that Washington continued to follow with interest Tunisia's human rights record. Democracy, she emphasized, was a key component of success in advancing national and human development. Recent high-profile arrests and prosecutions of independent journalists and bloggers were having a chilling effect on freedom of expression, she cautioned. The U.S. government would like to engage in a pragmatic and principled human rights dialogue. 3.(C) On arrests of independent journalists, Romdhani maintained that the GOT's executive branch could not interfere in the workings of the Tunisian judiciary. (Comment: We assume that the prosecutions of independent journalists and other GOT critics are initiated and carefully choreographed by the executive branch. End comment.) These cases are in fact rarities, Romdhani asserted, and typically involve self-promoters like Taoufik Ben Brik who "enjoy the limelight." (Note: As discussed ref C, Ben Brik, a journalist noted for his stinging, virulent critiques of Ben Ali and GOT elites, was tried and convicted in December of sexual assault, in a case he and his supporters maintain was fabricated. His case has been championed by the Committee to Protect Journalists and other human rights monitors. End note.) Caveats notwithstanding, Romdhani continued that he welcomed the idea of engaging in a principled dialogue on human rights with the USG. DAS Wittes replied that she welcomed his interest in a forward-looking dialogue. ¶4. (C) Saida Chtoui, the veteran Tunisian diplomat serving as one of two de-facto Deputy Foreign Ministers, offered DAS Wittes a generally cordial welcome, but took a harder line on the subject of human rights. Chtoui offered a 20 minute discourse highlighting Tunisia's strong credentials in advancing women's rights, promoting social welfare, and developing a purportedly pluralist political system. (Comment: In fact, the political opposition has been almost completely coopted and/or marginalized. End comment.) Chtoui said she welcomed DAS Wittes's remark that, on human rights, she was in Tunis "to listen and not just to lecture." "We value human and civil rights," Chtoui asserted, "but no one is above the law." Unfortunately, a very small number of Tunisians have found that they can earn a profitable living "by criticizing and lying about their country" overseas, Chtoui continued. ¶5. (C) These GOT critics distort facts to attract international attention and sympathy, Chtoui maintained, citing prominent dissident Sihem Bensidrine as an example. Bensidrine spends much of her time based in Greece and/or Austria, Chtoui noted, and frequently complains that the GOT restricts her movements even though she made 28 separate trips outside of Tunisia in 2009. "Are these the movements of a helpless person, who can not travel?" Chtoui asked with incredulity. Similarly, Chtoui complained the GOT had recently received a stack of letters from members of the European Parliament complaining about the imprisonment of the activist couple Radia Nasraoui and Hamma Hammmami. Neither are in jail, nor have they recently been in jail, Chtoui underlined. Going further, she alleged that activists such as Hammami will go so far to create incidents as to go to the airport and provoke police into assaulting them. (Note: This was a reference to a series of assaults by GOT plainclothes police on traveling Tunisian activists in the fall of 2009 - ref D. End note.) ¶6. (C) Comment: While much of what DAS Wittes heard from Tunisian interlocutors on human rights was disingenuous, we believe they also heard our message on the USG's sustained attention to Tunisia's human rights practices and our interest in engaging in a pragmatic, results-oriented dialogue on the subject. DAS Wittes's representations will make it easier to continue this discussion in the coming months. End comment. ¶7. (U) DAS Wittes has cleared this message. GRAY