AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

View Alerts By > Case | Date | Country | Victim

AAAS Human Rights Action Network

FACTS OF THE CASE:

Dr. Moncef Ben Salem, a founder of the mathematics department at the University of Sfax, and a former visiting professor at the University of Maryland and the University of Michigan, continues to be harassed for his political beliefs. Dr. Ben Salem was arrested in April 1990 for an interview he gave to an Algerian newspaper in which he was critical of the government for its poor human rights record and its hostility towards Islam. He was charged with "disseminating false information" and sentenced to three years in prison. Previously, Dr. Ben Salem had been arrested in November 1987 for his alleged involvement in the Mouvement de la Tendance Islamique, an illegal organization. He was dismissed from his post as a mathematics professor at the University of Sfax following his initial conviction.

Dr. Ben Salem has been subjected to an official campaign of harassment and intimidation and has been held under virtual house arrest since his release from prison in 1993. He and his family are reportedly under constant surveillance by police who are stationed outside their home. Visitors to his residence must go through identification checks by the police and his mail service has been irregular and unreliable. In addition, Dr. Ben Salem has been denied a passport. He continues to be banned from his teaching post at the University, and has not even been allowed on the campus to retrieve his belongings.

The continued harassment of Dr. Ben Salem constitutes a serious violation of international human rights standards, including those enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights (African Charter), which are legally binding on Tunisia as a State Party. These rights include:

• freedom of expression (Article 19 of the UDHR, Article 19 of the ICCPR, and Article 9 of the African Charter);
• freedom of association (Article 20 of the UDHR, Article 22 of the ICCPR, and Article 11 of the African Charter); and
• the right to travel (Article 13 of the UDHR, Article 12 of the ICCPR, and Article 12 of the African Charter).

(Source of information on this case includes Amnesty International Letter of Appeal, 7 July 1997 and a previous alert.)

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telexes, faxes, and airmail letters:

• demanding the immediate cessation of all intimidation and harassment against Dr. Ben Salem; and
• calling on the government to assure that Dr. Ben Salem's professional and personal rights be respected, including his right to free expression and association, and his right to travel.

APPEAL AND INQUIRY MESSAGES SHOULD BE SENT TO:

His Excellency President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali
President of the Republic of Tunisia
Palais Presidentiel
Tunis, TUNISIA
fax: 011-216-1-744-721
telex: 14900 prpse tn 12163 ppsd tn
telegram: President Ben Ali, Tunis, Tunisia


M. Sadok Chaabane
Ministre de la Justice
Ministere de la Justice
Boulevard Bab Benat
Tunis, TUNISIA
fax: 011-216-1-568-106 or 567-070
telex: 13000 maet tn (via Ministere de l'Interieure)
telegram: Ministre de la Justice Chaabane, Tunis, Tunisia


M. Abdallah Kallel
Ministre de l'Interieure
Ministere de l'Interieure
Avenue Habib Bourguiba
Tunis, TUNISIA
fax: 011-216-1-340-888

COPIES SENT TO:

M. Iadh Ouederni
Conseiller Presidentiel pour les Droits de l'Homme
Attache a la Presidente de la Republique
Palais Presidentiel
Tunis, TUNISIA
fax: 011-216-1-731-009 or 742-513

Main | CSFR Letters | Science and Human Rights Program