Tunisian lawyers observe sit-in to release Muhammad Abou

Tunisian lawyers have been observing an open sit-in since Tuesday in order to release their colleague Muhammad Abou who has been jailed since three months for protesting the invitation by Tunisia to the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon to take part in the World summit on the media society in Tunis.

Some 20 lawyers gathered on Wednesday at the headquarters of the bar association facing the justice palace in Tunisia, in the second day of a "continued sit-in," at the initiative of the Defense Committee For Muhammad Abou.

Abou's wife is taking part in the move which started after the defense lawyer was not permitted to visit his defendant in prison. The activist lawyer in human rights affairs, Radia Nasrwai, said that the state of sit-in will continue to be open in order to release the detained lawyer.

The sit-in came after a strike observed by the lawyers on March 5th demanding the release of Abou and "defending the profession, freedom and democracy in Tunisia."

Abou was arrested on the first of March following protests against the invitation extended to Sharon to take part in the world summit on society and the media which will be hosted by Tunis in Autumn this year. The said Tunisian lawyer was arrested under the charge of urging to "violate the laws and practicing violence against a female lawyer that complained against him."