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Letter of Appeal from the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

December 28, 2000


His Excellency Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
President of Tunisia
Présidence de la République
Palais de Carthage
Carthage, 2016
Tunisia


Dear Mr. President:

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the largest organization of natural and social scientists in the United States, and the world's largest federation of scientific organizations, with 145,000 individual members and 300 affiliated groups. Our AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility was formed in 1976 to protect the human rights of scientists and to deal with issues relating to scientific freedom worldwide.

On behalf of the Committee, I am writing to express concern about the trial of Dr. Moncef Marzouki. It is the Committee's understanding that Dr. Marzouki is being charged with spreading false information and maintaining an outlawed organization, the National Council on Liberties (Conseil national pour les libertés en Tunisie, CNLT). The committee is deeply concerned that these charges stem from Dr. Marzouki's peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression. The right to freedom of expression is affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was ratified without dissent by the General Assembly of the United Nations and protected in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which Tunisia is a State Party.

I also respectfully request that Dr. Marzouki's passport be returned to him, and that he be allowed to travel in and out of Tunisia freely. In July 2000, the Tunisian Ministry of Health fired Dr. Marzouki from his position as professor of Public Health at the University of Sousse. International human rights organizations believe that his dismissal was politically motivated and that Dr. Marzouki was fired in retaliation for speaking out against the Tunisian government's human rights practices on a June 2000 trip to the United States. As a result, Dr. Marzouki needs to be able to travel outside of Tunisia in order to make a living, and earn enough money for his survival. If the dismissal was politically motivated and not as a result of his job performance, I would also respectfully request that Dr. Marzouki be reinstated to his position as professor of Public Health immediately.

I would like to respectfully affirm the right of Dr. Marzouki and other Tunisians to hold and express opinions about the government, which is protected by international treaties to which Tunisia is a State Party and affirmed by international human rights norms. The relevant human rights documents include:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
· Article 19: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: (Ratified by Tunisia on 30 April 1968.)
· Article 19: "1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. 2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice."

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: (Ratified by Tunisia on 30 April 1968.)
· Article 6: "The State Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right to work, which includes the right of everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or accepts, and will take appropriate steps to safeguard this right."

The Human Rights Defenders Declaration:

Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations (passed by consensus by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1998)
· Article 11: "Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to the lawful exercise of his or her occupation or profession."
· Article 12(2): "The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights]."

Members of the staff of AAAS had the pleasure of meeting personally with Dr. Marzouki in Washington last summer. They were impressed with his personal courage. His work on behalf of human rights in Tunisia is to be commended and respected. In the wake of the judicial process, which has been set in motion against Dr Marzouki, I would also like to express concern for the continued safety and well-being of Dr. Moncef Marzouki.


Sincerely,

Irving Lerch
Chair
AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

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