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Alert

Imprisoned lawyer Mohammed Abbou begins hunger strike

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has called for the immediate release of Tunisian lawyer Mohammed Abbou following his 25 July 2005 announcement that he had begun another hunger strike. Abbou has been in prison since 1 March for daring to express his views online.

"It is absolutely unacceptable that going on hunger strike has become the only option left to Abbou," the organisation said in a message to Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, while adding that it was "outraged that the president chose to pardon common criminals on the occasion of the national holiday, instead of Abbou."

Abbou said he began his hunger strike with the intention of pursuing it for several days "in order to inform national and international public opinion (. . .) and draw attention to what is happing in my country as regards the repression against all those who voice dissent."

He said he also wanted to draw attention to "the hatred and complete intolerance towards all those who dare, even if only implicitly, to expose and criticise the 'mafia families' who are destroying the Tunisian economy and endangering the safety of all Tunisians." Abbou's wife also began a hunger strike on 25 July in solidarity with her husband.