Tunisia- Violence against women

Case TUN 150997

The International Secretariat of the OMCT requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Tunisia.

Brief description of  the situation

The Association for the Victims of Repression in Exile (AVRE), a
member of the network, has expressed grave concern over the alleged
persecution of Madame Ben Aissa Naziha, a Tunisian national born on 14
.02.66.

According to information received, Mrs Ben Aissa Naziha has allegedly
been suffering from  practically constant harassment on the part of
the Tunisian authorities since the escape from Tunisia in 1993 of her
husband, M. Zid Moncef, responsible for the Tunisian General Students'
Union (UGTE). M. Moncef was sentenced in absentia to 2 years'
imprisonment and is now a political refugee in France.

Mrs Ben Aissa Naziha has allegedly been arrested on three occasions: 3
days in August 1993,  5 days in October 1993 then in November. During
each of these detentions she has apparently been the victim of
ill-treatment, (repeated blows on the face), grave sexual harassment
(threats of rape, including what is described in the information as
forced "strip tease") all of which have left psychological as well as
physical sequelae (semi-deafness).

Since her last detention Mrs Ben Aissa Naziha is allegedly subjected
to weekly administrative control and assigned to forced residence in
Sfax. She has been ordered to cease all contact with her husband. The
pressure has apparently been increasing and she has allegedly been
threatened with torture if she does not divorce her husband. Since
then the couple have decided to break off all contact.

The OMCT draws attention to the fact that article 12 (2) of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Tunisia
is a Party provides that "Everyone shall be free to leave any country
including his own".

This right is also provided in Article 13 (2) of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights-

Action requested
Please write to the Tunisian authorities urging them to:

i-	put an end immediately to all forms of persecution against Mrs Ben
Aissa Naziha and guarantee the respect of her physical and
psychological integrity;

ii.	ensure that Mrs Ben Aissa Naziha  enjoy the necessary conditions
to enable her to join M. Zid Moncef on either a permanent or an
occasional basis;

iii.	carry out a thorough and impartial investigation into the facts
alleged in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial
and impose upon them the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions
provided by law;

iv.	ensure in all circumstances the respect of human rights and
fundamental liberties in accordance with national laws and
international standards.

Addresses :

M. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Chef de l'Etat, Palais présidentiel de
Carthage, Tunis, Tunisie. Fax : + 216 1 744 721 M. Mohamed Ben Rejeb,
Ministre de l'Intérieur, Ministère de l'Intérieur, Avenue Habib
Bourguiba, Tunis, Tunisie. Fax : + 216 1 340 888 M. Abdallah Kallel,
Ministre de la Justice, Ministère de la Justice, Boulevard Bab Benet,
Tunis, Tunisie. Fax : + 216 1 568 106/567 070 M. Abderrahim Zouari,
Ministre des Affaires Etrangères, Place du Gouvernement, La Kasba,
Tunis, Tunisie. Fax : + 216 1 567 050

The Tunisian Embassy in your respective countries.
Geneva, September 15th  1997

The Human Rights Action Network, a part of Derechos Human Rights, distributes appeals on behalf of victims of human rights violations. You are invited to join the network. Please check the date of the present action and do not write if it's over a month old.