Brussels, 03/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - Further to the congress's ban on the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), a press release issued by the EuroMediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) quotes Souhayr Belhassen, vice president of LTDH, who states that: "the regime has lost before it is started, if it thinks that it can reduce us to silence. Our fight for freedom of speech has turned into a resistance" (see the declaration of the EU in EUROPE 9027, and the resolution of the EP in EUROPE 9039). Almost all of the presidents and vice presidents of the LTDH published the text which stresses the responsibility of the government in this affair, despite its denials.
In the same press release, the EMHRN draws attention to the issue of human rights in Syria and Algeria. "Over the last two weeks, the Syrian, Algerian and Tunisian governmental authorities have interrupted or disturbed the General assembly meetings of local NGOs, or have stopped them from holding their meetings", it highlights. The CDF, LADDH and LTDH, all of which are members of the EuroMediterranean Human Rights Network, have suffered harassment of this kind.
We regret that 10 years after the Barcelona process- which put human rights at the centre of cooperation in the Mediterranean- the partner countries continue to behave as though nothing had happened, explained the president of the EMHRN, Kamel Jendoubi, who added: "these most recent actions against human rights organisations constitute violations of fundamental human rights. To attack the right of assembly and freedom of speech completely contradicts the spirit of the Barcelona Declaration, which aims to promote human rights, the rule of law and cooperation with civil society".