Two women activists violently assaulted by the Tunisian police
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) is deeply concerned about the violent assault on Fatma KSILA, Secretary General of CRLDHT1, and Samia ABBOU, member of the ALTLT2.
Yesterday 18/02, Fatma KSILA and Samia ABBOU were brutally assaulted by the political police in Sousse in the house of Imed Ben AMER whose son is a political prisoner. Fatma and Samia were having meetings with families of victims of torture in order to collect their stories for the publication of a joint CRLDHT-ATLT report on the practice of torture and ill-treatment in cases sentenced under the Anti-Terrorism Bill.
They suffered beatings, slapping, spitting and tons of verbal abuse and humiliation. Their money, papers, notebooks, cameras and tape recordings were confiscated. The harassment and violence went on even when they went back to Tunis.
Fatma KSILA, Samia ABBOU and other Tunisian women human rights defenders affirm the place of women in the fight for providing freedoms, against violence perpetrated by Tunisian police who enjoys impunity. Fifteen Tunisian activists joined Fatma Ksila and Samia Abbou to make the day Tuesday February 19 a day for action and protestation when they begin their hunger strike.
The EMHRN is concerned with political police interference in investigation and information work about the practice of torture in Tunisia.
The EMHRN finds the attack even more alarming in the context of the current and systematic harassment of human rights defenders in Tunisia and the deterioration of human rights witnessed in Tunisia in recent years, especially in the field of freedom of expression and association.
The network reiterates its solidarity for Fatma KSILA, Samia ABBOU and human rights defenders in their fight for the respect of human rights in Tunisia and calls upon the Tunisian authorities to:
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Put an end to harassments, intimidation, threats, and deliberate attacks on human rights defenders in accordance with the provisions of the UN General Assembly Declaration on Human Rights Defenders of 9 December 1998;
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Abide by the provisions of the Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders adopted on December 9, 1998 by the UN General Assembly and in particular its Article 1, which states that: "Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international level"
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Respect its human rights commitments according to international standards and as expressed in the Barcelona Declaration to which Tunis is a part as well as article 2 of the EU-Tunisia Association Agreement.
1 Comité pour le respect des libertés et des droits de l’Homme en Tunisie
2 Association Tunisienne contre la torture
