Brussels, 04/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - Tunisia has announced that it is signing up to three major international texts on the protection of human rights: the “Rome Statute”, of which it becomes the 116th participating state (alongside Jordan, the only other country of the region to have signed up to it), thereby recognising the competences of the International Criminal Court. It has also signed up to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishments, which aims to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment by allowing regular inspections of places of detention.
The EU “warmly welcomes” this triple decision, states Catherine Ashton in a declaration. This is a “clear signal” sent out by the Tunisians that they are moving towards democracy, added the high representative of the EU, who said that she was “confident that this will help to strengthen our bilateral relations”.
Tunisia has “taken an important step”, notes the organisation Amnesty International. “This kind of government action gives substance to the courageous actions of ordinary Tunisians who took to the streets to demand an end to abuses and the building of a fundamentally fair and just society”, said Salil Shetty. “All countries in the region should follow Tunisia's example by embracing the international legal framework to protect human rights and prevent injustice.” Amnesty urges Tunisia also to undertake to abolish the death penalty and withdraw its reservations preventing the full application of the treaties aiming to put an end to discrimination against women and to promote children's rights. (F.B./transl.fl)