<img src="https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&amp;c2=6035250&amp;cv=2.0&amp;cj=1&amp;cs_ucfr=0&amp;comscorekw=Tunisia%2CWorld+news%2CAmnesty+International%2CHuman+rights%2CAfrica"> Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
BEN ALI
Tunisia's president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, presides over a government that routinely infiltrates or takes over human rights, says Amnesty's report. Photograph: Str/AP
Tunisia's president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, presides over a government that routinely infiltrates or takes over human rights, says Amnesty's report. Photograph: Str/AP

Amnesty International censures Tunisia over human rights

This article is more than 13 years old
Political and economic life in Tunisia is subject to government's 'aggressive and repressive' tactics, says report

Tunisia has been taken to task for subverting civil society and professional organisations which criticise the authorities in one of the most modern but repressive countries in the Arab world.

Amnesty International said in a report yesterday that the government of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali routinely infiltrates or takes over human rights and other independent groups to effectively control them and silence dissent.

The penal code was also amended last month to stifle criticism of the country's human rights record from abroad by criminalising the actions of citizens who contact foreign organisations pursuing objectives that are considered harmful to Tunisia's "economic security".

The North African country of 10 million people is a favourite destination for European holidaymakers and is widely perceived as a haven of stability and secularism in a turbulent region plagued by Islamists. EU governments, especially the still-influential former colonial power France, are often accused of ignoring abuses in the pursuit of business and security interests.

Amnesty says: "The reality in Tunisia is that political and economic life is under tight government control and only the official discourse of praise of the authorities is tolerated. The government uses aggressive and repressive tactics to extend that control to the few remaining pockets of independent expression."

The report describes how, last August, the independent leadership of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists was overrun by government supporters after refusing to endorse the candidacy of Ben Ali in presidential and legislative elections. A new board was elected, and endorsed the president's candidacy. He went on to win 89% of the vote.

It also cites the example of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, which has been paralysed by disputes apparently instigated by new members close to the ruling party. The Association of Tunisian Judges is now effectively run by government supporters who took it over.

Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa deputy director, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, said:"The disruption of human rights organisations by the Tunisian authorities and the fact that so many independent organisations have now fallen victim to coups staged by government supporters is a pattern that we cannot afford to ignore. These sabotage tactics appear to be sanctioned at the highest levels."

State media outlets often smear human rights activists, especially women, who are described as lesbians or "acting like prostitutes". Many are monitored by security officers at home and work, followed to doctor's appointments and even to funerals, and accused of being paid agents of the US and Israel.

Ali Ben Salem, 78, is subject to continuous intimidation because he is a veteran critic of Tunisia's human rights record. In poor health, he has heart problems and continues to suffer the effects of the torture he endured in 2000 when he was arrested, beaten, sprayed with tear gas and left for dead. He is unable to pay for medical treatment as the authorities have blocked his civil service pension.

Amnesty notes that the Tunisian government recently hired a US public relations firm and launched a campaign to counter the image of human rights abuses and portray the country as a Mediterranean jewel that is friendly to foreign investment and tourism.

Most viewed

Most viewed