[WSIS CS-Plenary] [EN] ICHRDD-FIDH-OMCT: International monitoring mission report on Tunisia and WSIS

Fri May 13 14:19:45 BST 2005

Dear all,

[À l'attention des lecteurs francophones: ce message comprend la 
version anglaise du communiqué de presse publié par les organisations 
ICHRDD/FIDH/OMCT (membres du caucus DDH) pour le lancement du rapport 
de la mission internationale d'enquête organisée en Tunisia concernant 
le SMSI et la situation dans le pays hôte de la seconde phase. Ce 
communiqué vous a déjà été diffusé dans sa version française, ainsi que 
l'adresse où trouver le rapport en Français 
(http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/tn418f.pdf)]

I'm forwarding below the press release announcing the publication of 
the report of the international monitoring mission on Tunisia and WSIS. 
This mission has been organized by 3 members of the human rights 
caucus, and is supported by the caucus.
The report has been launched in Tunis on May 6, 2005, during the week 
of events organized by the Tunisian human rights league (LTDH, a member 
of the HR caucus) to celebrate the international freedom of the press 
day.
The press release includes the 12 recommendations formulated in 
conclusion of the monitoring mission by its 3 organizers: Rights and 
Democracy (Montreal based ICHRDD), the International Federation of 
Human Rights Leagues (Paris based FIDH) and the World Organization 
against Torture (Geneva based OMCT).

The full report is now available in English version on FIDH website 
(see address at the end of the press release). The original French 
version is also available on this website.

Best regards,
Meryem Marzouki,
Co-chair Human Rights Caucus
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PRESS RELEASE
Rights and Democracy/FIDH/OMCT - May 12th 2005
Publication of a report
International fact-finding mission : the World Summit on Information 
Society and Tunisia
Press release available at:
http://www.fidh.org/article.php3?id_article=2418

Paris – Tunis - Geneva – Montreal, May 12th  2005
Three international Human rights NGOs release a joint report on the 
information society in Tunisia and on the operational conditions for 
the preparation of the World Summit on Information society to be held 
in Tunis in Novembre 2005.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Rights and 
Democracy, and the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT) express 
their « grave preoccupation at the capacity or the willingness of the 
Tunisian authorities to respect their obligations under international 
law », both as regards the organisation of the participation of civil 
society to the Novembre 2005 Summit, as well as in the  setting up of 
the information society in Tunisia. The report was published in Tunis 
on May 6th, at a seminar organised by the Tunisian League for Human 
Rights (Ligue tunisienne des droits de l'Homme -LTDH) and the National 
Centre for Freedoms in Tunisia (Centre national pour les libertés en 
Tunisie -CNLT) on the occasion of the international Press Freedom Day.

The report sheds a light on the numerous practices of arbitrary 
detention, manhandling, judicial harassment against Human rights 
defenders and their organisations, the systematic repression of freedom 
of expression and association, the censorship and the control over the 
Internet, which constitute as many obstacles to the realisation of an 
information society respectful of Human Rights in Tunisia.

President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali committed during the presidential 
electoral campaign, to set the development of communication 
technologies as a priority for the country. The members of the 
international fact-finding mission have measured the importance of this 
challenge for Tunisia. They nevertheless are preoccupied by the 
negative impact the control and censorship of the media and the 
Internet have on the confidence of the users and the information 
society's economics in the country.

Moreover, obstacles remain to the full participation of the Tunisian 
civil society to the Novembre 2005 summit. They concern both the 
accreditation of non-recognized NGOs, as well as the capacity for civil 
society to express itself freely.

The three NGOs therefore call upon the Tunisian authorities to take all 
necessary steps, between now and the Summit,  to ensure that Human 
Rights are respected and protected, during and after the Summit, and in 
particular:

1. To give legal recognition to all Human Rights NGOs that are not yet 
recognised, to drop all legal proceedings against them or against their 
members, and so to establish freedom of association in Tunisia on a 
lasting and permanent basis;

2. To release the persons arbitrarily convicted in the "Zarzis" and 
"Ariana" Internet users cases;

3. To allow free circulation of information, in particular 
accessibility to websites with a political or Human Rights content;

4. To release the prisoners subjected to arbitrary judgement following 
the Ennadha trial;

5. To issue a standing invitation to all the mechanisms of the United 
Nations Commission on Human Rights, and to allow an official visit of 
the Rapporteurs on torture, on the independence of judges and lawyers, 
and of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the 
United Nations for Human Rights Defenders, in accordance with their own 
terms of reference;

6. To implement the recommendations made by the United Nations Human 
Rights mechanisms;

7. To allow all Human Rights organisations wishing to visit Tunisia in 
order to carry out independent and impartial enquiries, to do so.

8. To initiate a reform of the Press Code in order to suspend the 
"receipt" procedures concerning the publication of periodicals, books 
or other printed or audiovisual material;

9. To revise the calls for tenders for opening up the Tunisian 
audiovisual environment, in compliance with the Tunisian 
Telecommunications Code, in particular the provisions on the 
transparency of calls for tenders, and to allow the representation of 
media reflecting political diversity;

10. To carry out a study on the impact of the legislation, regulations 
and ICT practices on respect for Human Rights;

11. To assess the consequences of the monitoring and censorship of 
electronic exchanges of information in terms of the social 
appropriation of ICTs and the economic development of information 
services;

12. To attach to all financial aid to ICT projects a section on respect 
for Human Rights and democracy. This applies particularly to the 
"Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Sector Development 
Project", for which Tunisia has been awarded a 10.8 million euro loan 
from the World Bank.

Background

On the occasion of the first phase of the World Summit on the 
Information Society (WSIS), several independent Tunisian human rights 
NGOs requested the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic 
Development (ICHRDD - Rights and Democracy), the International 
Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against 
Torture (OMCT), with the support of the Human Rights Caucus, to mandate 
a team of experts in the new information technologies, the media and 
human rights, to undertake an investigation and dialogue mission, in 
preparation of this Summit.

The mission took place in Tunis, from 25 to 28 January 2005. It was 
composed of:
- Jean-Louis Roy, President of Rights and Democracy. A former director 
of the Montreal daily newspaper, Le Devoir, Mr Roy was, from 1990 to 
1998, Secretary General of the intergovernmental agency for the 
francophone world (l’Agence intergouvernementale de la francophonie - 
AIF) in Paris.
- Deborah Hurley, former director of Harvard University's Information 
Infrastructure Project. From 1988 to 1996, she was responsible in OECD 
for legal, economic, social and technical matters linked with 
information and communications technologies, and, in particular, was 
responsible for research relating to the protection of personal data 
and privacy and to the security of information systems.
- Younes M’jahed, a journalist and Secretary General of the Moroccan 
Union of the press (Syndicat national de la presse marocaine), is a 
member of the executive committee of the International Federation of 
Journalists (IFJ) and Vice President of the Commission for Freedoms of 
the Arab Federation of Journalists.

Download the report in English:
===============================
Tunisia and the World Summit on Information Society
Rights and Democracy/FIDH/OMCT Report (24 pages - PDF Document 615 kb)
http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/tn418a.pdf

Media Contact
=============
Antoine Madelin (Secretary for the mission): [+33] (0)6 68 22 65 72
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