The Tunisian authorities have forbidden Tunisian and foreign associations to hold a meeting in order to prepare an event within the World Summit on the Information Society this morning.
About ten civil policemen have prevented access to the Goethe Institute – the German cultural center – where the meeting was to take place. The policemen violently shoved the participants who attempted to regain the meeting place, without identifying themselves or providing a reason, forcing the participants to leave. Among the participants who were forced to leave were Souhayr Belhassen, the Vice President of the Tunisian Human Rights League, Sihem Bensedrine, Omar Mestiri and Om Zied from the National Council on Liberties in Tunisia (which is not recognized by the authorities), Mahmoud Dahouadi, a member of the Tunisian Journalists Union (also not recognized by the authorities), as well as some representatives from international organizations, like la Federation Internationale de la Ligue des Droits de l’Homme (Paris), Human Rights Watch (New York), Front Line (Dublin), World Association for Community Radio Broadcasters (Montreal), Association for Progressive Communication (Johannesburg) and the Human Rights Caucus for the World Summit on the Information Society.
The under-signed associations deplore this repeated violation of the right to assemble in Tunisia. It is all the more regrettable to see that the Tunisian authorities violate this right when Tunisia hosts the WSIS, a global UN event that is supposed to promote access to information.
Conseil National des Libertés en Tunisie
Sihem Bensedrine
Fédération International des Ligues de droits de l’Homme
Antoine Madellin
Front Line
Andrew Anderson
Human Rights Watch
Eric Goldstein
Ligue Tunisienne de défense des droits de l’Homme
Souhayr Belhassen
World Association for Community Radio Broadcasters
Steve Buckley
