30 March 2005
IFEX MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT TUNISIA AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
On 31 March 2005, members of the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) will highlight the worrying state of freedom of expression in Tunisia at a panel discussion in Geneva during the annual session of the UN Commission on Human Rights.
With Tunisia playing host to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in November 2005, TMG members say the government needs to greatly improve its record on free expression and other human rights if it is to earn the right to hold the summit.
The panel discussion will be held at the Palais des Nations and moderated by the International Publishers Association, Norwegian PEN and International PEN.
Panelists will include Tunisian writers, journalists, publishers, activists and representatives of international organisations, including the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters and the World Association of Newspapers.
The event is made possible by support from the Norwegian foundation Fritt Ord and from KOPINOR, the Reproduction Rights Organisation of Norway.
The panel discussion follows a fact-finding mission to Tunisia in January 2005 during which members of the TMG noted numerous concerns about the state of free expression in the country.
The mission found numerous incidents of human rights violations, including the use of torture by security services, imprisonment of individuals who expressed their opinions, restrictions on freedom of association, police surveillance of e-mails and the blocking of news and information websites.
The TMG also found a lack of pluralism in broadcast media ownership, attempts to block the distribution of books and publications, and routine press censorship.
The TMG report "Tunisia: Freedom of Expression Under Siege" lays out steps the Tunisian government should take to bring the country in line with international human rights standards, including ending harassment and intimidation of human rights activists, lifting controls on websites and respecting individuals' rights to freedom of movement, assembly and association.
The TMG is a coalition of 13 national, regional and international organisations that belong to the IFEX network.
Read the report here: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/64665/
Visit:
- IFEX news on WSIS: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/50685/
- WSIS:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/index.html
- Report on Press Freedom in Tunisia: http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/Mena/tunisia.htm
- UN Commission on Human Rights: http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/index.htm
RSS