Brussels, 25/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 24 June, two civil liberties groups, the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN), attracted the EU's attention to human rights in Tunisia and requested that European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton speak openly to the Tunisian prime minister who is on visit to Brussels (see EUROPE 10873). The question of human rights must lie at the core of EU-Tunisia relations
In a letter to Ashton, the two associations express their concern at the persistence of, if not upsurge in, violations of human rights and freedoms. They present a gloomy picture of the situation. Evoking the commitments taken by the transition authorities, they point out that these have not been met. The drafting of a constitution is considerably behind schedule and its content remains way below expectations. Penalties out of proportion to the actions have been imposed on activists campaigning for freedom of rights and on intellectuals, and there have been an increasing number of threats and acts of violence against members of the civil society and political activists, mainly against magistrates and the president of the association of Tunisian magistrates (AMT). FIDH and EMHRN also draw attention to women's rights, citing the Tunisian association of women democrats (ATFD), which notes the women's rights situation with concern. (FB/transl.jl)