Hunger strike to improve human rights in Tunisia
Tunisia, Politics, 10/22/2005

The open hunger strike which started by 8 persons representing the political class and civil society in Tunisia entered its fourth day demanding improvement of human rights conditions.

The observers of the strike were visited by two delegations from the American and British embassies and a delegation representing the European commission, whose chairman expressed understanding for the demands set by the observers of the strike.

The observers of the strike are Najib al-Shabi; Abdul Raouf al-Eyadi, Hema al-Homami; Muhammad al-Nouri, al-Ayashi al-Humami, Samir Dillo, Mukhtar al-Yahyawi and Lutfi Hejji.

The secretary general of the progressive democratic party ( licensed party) Najib al-Shabi said that the morale of observers of the strike is high and the strike generated vast support internally and externally.

He indicated that committee was formed includes the families of the detainees in what is known as Jerjis case, in which several persons were convicted the imprisonment because they got into Emails sites forbidden by the Tunisian government, in addition to other committees in Qafsa and al-Munsteir cities.

Al-Shabi added that the observers of the strike, including 6 lawyers, were greatly harassed, and at the beginning the police prevented doctors from visiting them in the headquarters were they sit in in the heat of the capital Tunis. The siege was only lifted after the visit of the delegation of the British embassy delegation.

Al-Shabi added that the movement of protest gathered for the first time communists and Islamists that rallied around one demand: the freedom of gathering for parties and the freedom of the press in all its forms including the right to join electronic e-mail sites, release of all Islamists, politicians and non-politicians including young men who were sentenced to 30- year imprisonment over ideas that they thought of going to the Chechen or Iraq or visited prohibited e-mail access sites.

Previous Stories:
  Tunisia denies freezing human rights institute, its chief complains harassment   (6/13/2005)
  Human Rights Watch: Tunisia pledges to end long solitary confinement   (4/22/2005)
  Tunisian lawyers observe sit-in to release Muhammad Abou   (4/7/2005)

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