Prometheus 6

Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC)
February 18, 2004
By Michael Posner

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C.
20500

Dear Mr. President:

Next week you will meet with Tunisian President Zine el Abdine Ben Ali. This meeting offers challenges and significant opportunities with respect to refining the bilateral relationship with Tunisia. More broadly, it provides a timely setting to advance the important agenda you have set out for strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Since coming to power in 1987, President Ben Ali has repeatedly promised a program of democratic reform. Instead of reform, the Tunisian government has prosecuted political opponents, and otherwise suppressed non-violent dissent. Tunisian human rights activists, who are among the most sophisticated and courageous in the region, have been singled out for repression. Freedom of the press has been stifled and the Tunisian people, especially those who have been advocates for change, live in constant fear of the omnipresent secret police.

You and your Administration have made strong public statements in support of advocates of political reform and human rights in the Arab world and throughout the Middle East. We very much welcome a "forward strategy for freedom in the Middle East." At the same time, as you know, many people in the region remain deeply skeptical about the long-term U.S. commitment to promote democracy and human rights in the Middle East.

We believe that your meeting with President Ben Ali provides an excellent opportunity to begin to counter this skepticism and demonstrate that your Administration will indeed expect a higher standard of respect for human rights from Tunisia and other U.S. allies in the region. As you have noted: "When the leaders of reform ask for our help, America will give it."
The leaders of reform in Tunisia, who are part of the country's resilient human rights movement, face constant repression. Their organizations are banned and their activities blocked. They have no access to the media. They are restricted from travel and periodically arrested or subjected to physical attack. Their telephone lines are cut or otherwise disrupted.

In light of the above, we urge that you raise the following issues in your meeting with President Ben Ali:

- Request that he permit independent human rights organizations like the National Council for Civil Liberties (CNLT) and the Association for the Support of Political Prisoners (AISPP) to function freely.

- Ask him to launch a public investigation into the assault against human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine on January 5, 2004 - the most recent of many attacks on human rights activists in Tunisia.

- Ask that he lifts restrictions on the press by granting licenses to independent newspapers and magazines. For example, Sihem Bensedrine's application to register her publication Kalima has been rejected three times.

- Request that he permit Tunisians to have unimpeded access to the Internet. Currently sites dealing with human rights issues in Tunisia, including those from international organizations like Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, are blocked.

- Ask that he release Neziha Rejiba, also known as Om Zied, from prison. She is the editor-in-chief of Kalima who was sentenced to eight months imprisonment in October 2003 for "currency exchange violations."

- Ask that he release Hammad Ali Bedoui, a member of the CNLT, who has been held under house arrest since January 3, 2004.

- Urge the President to permit opposition political parties to operate freely and participate in contested elections.

We urge you actively to address these and related issues with President Ben Ali. You have spoken about the need for transforming the Middle East and North Africa from a "place of tyranny and despair and anger" into a region open to political reform and expanded safeguards for human rights and the rule of law. President Ben Ali's state visit provides an important opportunity to make clear how your Administration will translate these aspirations into practice.

We urge your active attention to this vitally important agenda.

Sincerely,

Michael H. Posner
Executive Director
Human Rights First